Hopeful to bounce back from a subpar 2015 season, Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig endured more highs and lows this year. Puig was the subject of trade rumors during the offseason, but also received public support from the organization throughout the winter.
He lost weight at the request of president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, and by all accounts was a model teammate during Spring Training. Puig began the season on a high note, only to fall susceptible to the same inconsistency that’s plagued him since 2014.
Similarly, a hamstring strain forced the 25-year-old to the disabled list in June for 17 days. In the month after coming off the DL, Puig was again the subject of trade rumors.
Los Angeles reportedly made multiple attempts to move their polarizing outfielder prior to the non-waiver deadline. Unable to do so, the Dodgers demoted Puig to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
To little surprise, the club reportedly remains willing to trade Puig, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
This barely classifies as newsworthy, but heard from rival execs that the Dodgers remain open to trading Yasiel Puig this winter.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) November 28, 2016
The demotion served as a positive decision as Puig hit well for Oklahoma City and returned to the Dodgers in September with a better understanding of what was required from him. So that there wasn’t any confusion, teammates discussed in detail what exactly that was during a meeting.
Boosted by a strong final month of the season, Puig finished the year batting .263/.323/.416 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 45 RBI and a 101 OPS+ over 104 games.
He reportedly is among the players the Chicago White Sox have interest in for a potential trade involving Chris Sale, though their asking price for the left-handed ace may prevent any deal from coming together. The White Sox were also said to be one of the teams interested in trading for Puig prior to this season’s deadline.
Another potential landing spot for Puig may be the Milwaukee Brewers, as a swap involving Ryan Braun was also discussed.
