The Los Angeles Dodgers couldn’t find a trade partner for right fielder Yasiel Puig, and the club left him in Southern California as it hit the road on Monday.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com first reported Puig as being furious when he was informed he’d either be traded or sent to the minors.
“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.”
That report turned out to be false. Rosenthal took to Facebook a while later to report, via Puig’s agent, that he was asked not to come to the park after being told he’d either be traded or demoted.
Los Angeles did make a mind-boggling trade on Monday before the deadline, sending three top prospects to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for pitcher Rich Hill and right fielder Josh Reddick (details here).
The prospects given in return for these two veterans made the Dodgers one of the big trade-deadline losers, but is also means Puig’s future with the club is even more in doubt.
The Dodgers had been trying to find a trade partner for Puig this past week, but it’s not surprising he wasn’t snatched up. Though is ability to field and make spectacular throws is always valuable, Puig’s bat has been relatively cold this year. He’s batting 260 with seven homers and a .706 OPS.
On top of that, he’s been a constant source of contention since joining the Dodgers in 2013 and might not be considered good enough any more to be worth the trouble.