The Major League Baseball trade deadline served up plenty of drama on the west coast this afternoon. After not trading Yasiel Puig, the Los Angeles Dodgers opted to leave him home as the team took flight for a road series in Denver against the Rockies, Puig appears to be heading to Tripla A.
The Dodgers informed their Cuban import they had decided to either trade him to another club or demote him down to Triple-A. Tim Brown of Yahoo reported the Dodgers instructed Puig not to show up at Dodger Stadium as the team prepared to head to the airport for a road series against the Colorado Rockies. Brown added the Dodgers would indeed be sending Puig to the minor leagues to work through some issues.
https://twitter.com/TBrownYahoo/status/760263269072248832
An earlier report from Ken Rosenthal suggesting Puig showed up at Dodger Stadium and then stormed off in frustration was later disproven. Puig was not on hand at Dodger Stadium, according to Puig’s agent.
“The club informed me and the player understood clearly that they were making every to trade him and that if they were unable to come to terms with another club on a trade — and successful in acquiring another outfielder — that he likely would be demoted,” Puig’s agent, Adam Katz, said in a statement shared by Rosenthal. “My understanding is that transaction will happen tomorrow.”
Various reports have suggested the Dodgers would only have moved Puig if they could receive another outfielder in any deal. The Dodgers did add Josh Reddick from Oakland prior to the deadline, but there were apparently no takers for Puig, or any offer to the Dodgers for the outfielder were not deemed worth accepting from Los Angeles’ point of view. In early June, Los Angeles Times scribe Andy McCullough suggested the trade value for Puig had collapsed.
He swung at more pitches outside the strike zone than all but 14 other big leaguers. Pitchers can handcuff him inside with fastballs, which he cannot extend his hands to handle, while still inducing him to swing at soft stuff away. It’s a timeless formula, but Puig has yet to develop an answer.
So, no, Puig has not done much in 2016 to help his value. He has received plenty of credit for his attitude this season, including such achievements as showing up on time, being accountable with the press and not driving his teammates bonkers. This is commendable, for sure, but it does not overshadow his plummeting production.
In 81 games this season, Puig has hit .260 with seven home runs and 18 walks to 59 strikeouts. Puig has not played up to par with his first splash in baseball, leaving some concerned about failing to reach the hyped potential, or perhaps maxing out with his production before anyone in the organization would have hoped.
Since returning from a stint on the disabled list, Puig had been hitting better and playing better in the field, which makes today’s story just a bit more intriguing. Are we missing something here?
Puig was hitting .308/.390/.440 w good defense since returning from DL. So… this is all very confusing. Clearly we don't have full story.
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) August 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/molly_knight/status/760251818991427584
We’ll have to stay tuned to see if more information leaks about Puig’s status with the Dodgers. The Dodgers can still move Puig before the waiver deadline. He would have to clear waivers before heading elsewhere, but the odds seem pretty good Puig will be on a different team’s roster at the end of the season. Whatever the case, we hope he will continue to update us through Twitter, where he has been silent since July 4.
Walked around the #EdgeWalk at the CN Tower today, 1,168 ft in the air! 😱 #PuigNotScared #niceview #niceday 🤗🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/olf9DhDQ9V
— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) May 6, 2016
