Yasiel Puig 'Stormed Off' After Being Told He'd Be Traded Or Demoted, Dodgers Travel To Colorado Without Him (Update: Puig Wasn't Even There)
Shit has officially hit the fan between Yasiel Puig and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In case you missed it, earlier today, the Dodgers acquired left-handed pitcher Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick from the Oakland A’s. Here was my take on the Dodgers acquiring Reddick when the Dodgers already had three everyday players in their outfield already.
I think the most interesting part of this deal is the Reddick addition. We’re less than two hours away from the trade deadline, and Yasiel Puig is still a Dodger. Whether or not they deal Puig — there were rumors of a swap of Puig for James Shields of the White Sox — I think the acquisition of Reddick says a lot about how the Dodgers feel about Puig. Out of 66 outfielders in the MLB with at least 300 plate appearances this year, Puig is 53rd in OPS (.706), and 53rd in slugging (.386). With an outfield alignment of Howie Kendrick in left field, Joc Pederson in centerfield, and Puig in right, it would seem that the Dodgers do not feel confident in Puig being their everyday right fielder for these final two months, and into October, assuming they hold their top Wild Card spot.
Well, we have our answer now. Here’s what Ken Rosenthal is reporting.
Yasiel Puig did not travel with the Dodgers on Monday when they flew to Denver for a three-game series against the Rockies.
Puig, 25, stormed off after arriving at Dodger Stadium and being informed that he would either be traded or sent to the minors, according to major-league sources.
Rosenthal’s report also includes that the Dodgers “did not find a taker” for Puig, which is obvious because he’s still with the organization. But, I will share this. I’m a blogger. I’m not a reporter or a journalist. I don’t try to break news. If I do, it’s because somebody went out of their way to share it with me for whatever reason. Because this isn’t confirmed by an official source, take this as a rumor and nothing more, just as it was presented to me. I was told that the Dodgers were close to trading Puig to an American League team (not the White Sox) for a veteran outfielder, a minor leaguer, and a prospect, but the deal fell through over said prospect. Again, just a rumor. Figured I’d pass it along, since baseball fans enjoy shit like that during this time of year.
While the non-waiver trade deadline has passed us by, let us not forget that Puig can still clear waivers and be dealt in August. He can also be claimed by a team and dealt to that particular team, assumed in full for nothing, or the Dodgers can pull him back from waivers and decide to keep him. It’s still possible that the Dodgers would just keep Puig at their Triple-A level until he figures some things out, but I think their best bet is to cut ties with a toxic situation, and move him to a team who actually wants him. With this latest story of the Dodgers leaving his ass on the runway, it would seem that this relationship is damaged, and it would be best for both parties to go their separate ways.
UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal just updated his story with a statement from Puig’s agent.
“I’m told he was not at the park. The club informed me and the player understood clearly that they were making every effort 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. My understanding is that transaction will happen tomorrow.”
Weird twist to this one. How do we go from a player “storming off” to he wasn’t even there at all? Sounds like somebody has an ax to grind with Puig. Not Rosenthal, obviously. Whoever his source was originally. Either way, it sounds like the part of the story where the Dodgers told Puig he’d be traded or demoted is true, and I suppose that’s the most important part. The least shocking thing ever would be if Puig were traded some time in the next month.