Over recent seasons Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier were often the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielders most often mentioned in trade rumors. This February that grew to include Alex Guerrero, who reportedly emerged as the outfielder ‘most likely’ to be traded.
Crawford and Guerrero are no longer with the organization as both were designated for assignment and released, while Ethier earned a no-trade clause as a 10-and-5 player. That’s seemingly left Yasiel Puig subject to trade rumors despite him being the outfielder on the Dodgers’ roster with the most upside.
Earlier this month it was reported the club was willing to entertain trade offers for the 25-year-old. Now, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Dodgers are said to be open to trading Puig:
Which is why Player Y’s team, at the very least, is open to trading him, according to major-league sources. Player Y, if you haven’t figured it out, is the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig.
While the Dodgers are believed to be scouring the pitching market, any deal involving Puig presumably would involve receiving an outfielder in return. The club is currently thin at the position with Ethier, Joc Pederson and Trayce Thompson all on the disabled list.
Pederson is expected to be reinstated from the DL on Tuesday, Thompson may not be far behind, but Ethier is on track for an August or September return. Collectively, Dodgers outfielders are hitting .233/.310/.402; ranking last in the National League in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage, and 10th in slugging.
After struggling through much of the season, Puig has been improved at the place since coming off the DL. In 22 games (20 starts) since June 21, he’s batting .307/.404/.427 with three doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs, nine walks and 14 strikeouts in 89 plate appearances.
Amid some inconsistency at the plate, Puig’s arm and penchant to make spectacular plays in right field isn’t something the Dodgers can replicate in his absence.
Los Angeles was tied to Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce last month and more recently, were reported as having trade talks with the Tampa Bay Rays, with Logan Forsythe’s and Evan Longoria’s names being kicked around.
