Has Yasiel Puig Overstayed his Welcome with Los Angeles Dodgers?

It seems like just the other day that Yasiel Puig was the talk of one of the biggest cities in the greatest nation in the world. That puts you pretty high on the food chain. A Cuban defector, Puig already had the back story to gather a cult following in LA, and he did just that in his first year with the team. Puig hit .319 with a .925 OPS, 19 home runs and 45 RBI in just 382 at-bats.

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It was pretty clear that he was something special. Even with his squabbles with team mates, his production was enough to put those on the back burner.

But since that time, his production has plummeted. Each sequential year since his rocking debut, Yasiel Puig has become less and less of what he was his rookie year, allowing for his play on the field to become less and less effective at overshadowing his attitude problems, from mental lapses to hustle lapses and onward into bad team chemistry.

However, one Los Angeles Dodgers’ executive, chairman Mark Walter, appears unwilling to give up on him just yet. “I wouldn’t give up on him now,” Walter told the LA Times. “I think he’s just going to be a great player. Puig clearly, clearly has incredible potential and talent. And I think he’s got a big heart and wants to play hard. So I think that will show up.”

Seems pretty convinced. However, he did go on to say that if a trade were to be arranged, that it would have to go through. After all, that is what the front office is for.

Walter did kindly neglect to comment on Yasiel Puig’s past troubles with base running mistakes and team mate quarrels, but that may have been on purpose.

Bad team mates quickly become permissible when that bad team mate is producing numbers like Puig did his rookie year. However, when that fades and you start remembering how bad of a team mate he is, then you have a problem. Puig is only hitting .272 with four home runs and 18 RBIs this year. Those kinds of numbers can be found anywhere, and with better chemistry to boot.

Yasial Puig still has a ton of value from his initial burst onto the scene, but if you let him continue to drill himself into the ground, that value will deteriorate incredibly fast. The Dodgers need to trade Puig and they need to do it now. With a commanding grip on the NL West and their fate in their own hands, the Dodgers could still stand to improve in some areas, particularly starting pitching.

Not only that, but with Joc Pederson and Andre Ethier powering the outfield and Carl Crawford due back, the Dodgers would be more than capable of coping without him.

With popularity and production on a steep decline but a value that would still fetch quite the return, the time is now to trade Yasiel Puig.