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Los Angeles Dodgers Interested in Trading Yasiel Puig?

By Steven Kubitza

Jul 19, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (10) is congratulated by right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) after scoring a run against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 19, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (10) is congratulated by right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) after scoring a run against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Dodgers may be interested in trading Yasiel Puig before the trade deadline.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on pace to reach the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season after a 53-42 start to the 2016 campaign.

An injured Clayton Kershaw, whose return is unknown, presents a problem to the playoff run, but the team’s current record is good enough to make the Dodgers be buyers at the trade deadline.

But the Dodgers may indeed be sellers, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. And the player potentially being put on the market may surprise some. Rosenthal explains the possible player on the move in a recent article:

"Player Y is one of the game’s least productive right fielders. Yet, he is not the only below-average hitter in his team’s outfield, which ranks last in the majors in batting average and near the bottom in on-base and slugging percentage, too.Would it make sense for Player Y’s team to look for a better hitter at his position and more proficient outfielders in general? Of course it would. 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."

The 25-year-old Puig was a star in his first year with the Dodgers back in 2012, finishing the season with a .319 batting average and 19 home runs in only 104 games played. He came in second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting to Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, and seemed to be a star in the making for the Dodgers.

After a solid 2014 and an injury-riddled 2015 season, Puig may not be in the future plans of the Dodgers if he can draw a large return in a trade.

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Being only 25 years old and being signed through 2018 makes Puig more than just a half-season rental, but rather a player a team could place in the outfield and build around. He has struggled as of late, but the raw talent he possesses makes him a great investment. He is owed $8.2 million in 2017 and $9.2 million in 2018, which is a steal when looking at the skill set he has.

The Dodgers started an outfield consisting of Puig, Howie Kendrick and Joc Pederson Tuesday night, so trading Puig would need to bring in at least one other outfielder to avoid dismantling an already thin group.

At this point it may be a bad decision for the Dodgers to trade Puig. His .694 OPS is nothing to get excited about, but there is still over two months of baseball to be played. With Kershaw’s return being unknown, trading away an immensely talented played could serve to break up a team that is in need of stability if it wants to make the playoffs once again.

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The Dodgers enter Wednesday owning the top Wild Card spot in the NL and are just 4.5 games back of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. With a playoff berth in sight, the Dodgers may want to give Puig until the end of this season to prove himself. If he fails to improve or has another strikeout-filled postseason, trading him in the offseason could become a realistic possibility. There is just no need to move him at this point in time.

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