SATURDAY: Puig is expected to report to the Oklahoma City Dodgers tomorrow, Rosenthal reports (all Twitter links). The reason his debut with Oklahoma City has been delayed is that he first needed to clear optional waivers to be sent to the minors. He cleared Thursday, but his actual reporting date will coincide with the beginning of a road series against Iowa.
MONDAY 7:28pm: The Dodgers are expected to send Puig to the minors tomorrow, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Puig, for his part, appears likely to report on time for the assignment.
6:53pm: Puig was told not to report to travel with the team today, Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown tweets. Rosenthal, meanwhile, has corrected his story (on Twitter) to indicate that Puig did not, in fact, “storm off.”
5:53pm: Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig “stormed off” and did not travel with the team to Colorado on Monday after being told that he would be either traded or demoted, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes. The Dodgers did not trade him before today’s 3:00pm deadline. It’s unclear what the team’s next move might be.
The Dodgers’ recent acquisition of Josh Reddick from the Athletics would appear to affect Puig’s usefulness with the Dodgers. Puig has batted a disappointing .260/.320/.386 in 303 plate appearances this season. He was the subject of trade rumors heading up to the deadline, with the White Sox reportedly showing interest. He had also been connected to the Dodgers’ talks with the Reds regarding Jay Bruce.
Puig burst on the scene as a 22-year-old rookie in 2013, but he’s hit worse in every season since then, with his average, on-base percentage and power all gradually diminishing. His struggles have led to a drop in fWAR from 5.3 in 2014 to 0.5 so far this season.
What a baby. Be lucky you have a job – well in your case ‘had’ a job
Couldn’t happen to a bigger d-bag. Let him sit on the bench like the loser he is.
hes not a dbag hes struggling no doubt about it..
to the best of my knowledge, no one on this site is a player on the Dodgers or is in clubhouse, so we really don’t know what is going on with Puig. Mostly a lot of heresay comments. But ask yourself this question—–would the Dodgers take an action like this unless they REALLY felt it was necessary? You think they don’t like his race, religion, language? It’s not the injuries—they’re a part of the game unless they think Puig is not really hurt and/or not hustling. I DON’T KNOW. This is an extreme action and I doubt LA is doing this without careful evaluation,.
The guy hasn’t been living up to the potential. What the heck does he expect?
Get a grip, grow up and let this be motivation to get back to what we all know you can be. Or just pout about. Either way. Choice is your, Puig.
That’s a shame. His pride is getting the better of him here. Tough situation for both player and team.
The kid was fun to watch in ’13. One can only hope that he can get it together one of these years and get back to that form.
It’s tougher for the Dodgers, w/ a useless player no one wants. 😀
Still salty about that Hector Olivera trade, huh?
Ain’t no one salty about that trade. What’s there to be salty about? We gone away a guy at the perfect time before his complete implosion? Get back a controllable arm and a top
Prospect who head limes a deal to get Trace Thompson ( also young controllable hitting for more power than anyone expected and our future left fielder)
I assume you mean that towards me, and nope I’m not salty. But Puig is still unwanted
That seems premature. In his last 30 games he’s hitting .301 with an 813 OPS.
Exactly. How many players around the league are hitting .260 or worse. I feel like he’s being picked on.
I agree
Some of those can’t be sent down. Puig can. He’s not being picked on, he’s not performing in one of the largest markets in MLB.
Not everyone gets a trophy for participation in MLB. Good for the Dodgers.
Better pack his s***, he has a game in Colorado Springs tomorrow.
And he was their only even somewhat successful Cuban. Oh well, fools and their money are soon parted.
Seriously though, Puig hasn’t been THAT bad. I’d trade Gerardo Parra for him right this second. I wouldn’t think a demotion is warranted here.
part of it is his attitude too –
Haha no you wouldn’t, silly. The deadline has already passed.
Funny. You got me.
No it hasn’t
and maybe it’s not just about his play. maybe it’s his attitude and his dedication and perhaps he’s just a pain in the rear. addition by subtraction for the dodgers
That line is not that bad. At least compared to lineups like MIN/ATL.
Until you factor in his immaturity and unwillingness to play with even the slightest injury. His teammates can’t stand him, and the clubhouse tension created by Puig ultimately led to the manager getting fired. The players all respect for Mattingly because he refused to deal with Puig accordingly.
Sorry, meant to say the players “lost” all respect for Mattingly…
According to?
Mattingly got fired for being an awful manager, making indefensible in-game decisions, and not advancing in the playoffs. Not chemistry issues.
Also, for what it’s worth, he was being held out this week. Not his choice.
This.
Amongst all the “personal relationship” talk that surrounded Mattingly, it glossed over the fact he was a terrible on-field Manager.
Exactly. From everything I’ve heard Mattingly was universally liked by players. He just couldn’t manage his way out of a cardboard box. Too much double switch and Pedro Baez.
Oh man – I had just managed to repress the thoughts of Baez being called on instead of Jansen. It’s taken me that long to get over such a painful postseason moment.
Right up there with using Brian Wilson in tight spots.
Every time I see Baez come out of the pen, I die a little inside. Wilson was at least good in 2013. I don’t think I’ve ever said the words “Baez is in, we got this.” Hatcher: see Baez.
Couldn’t possibly agree more buddy, nailed it!
Ahhhh, first of all Mattingly didn’t get fired. 2nd is all that wasn’t the issue at all. If you are at all a baseball fan with any knowledge of the game Donny is an amazing baseball guy and great manager. You try to manage in the playoffs with what they gave him as a bullpen his whole tenure. 3 NL west titles in a row has never been done b4 in LA history and when we got there has a shit bullpen and honestly a shoddy offense. You’re a typical uneducated fan who wants to point the finger at everyone that doesn’t succeed. Man. Idiots surround
Ahh yes. Didn’t get fired. He and the team “mutually decided” for him to not work the last year of his contract. If you want to debate semantics, go ahead but I will not join you. The FO did give him mostly awful bullpens, but he still mismanaged them. He double switched to the detriment of the team, and made irrational pitching changes. I am, indeed, a baseball fan, and am not uneducated. The problem with these “amazing baseball guys” is that they don’t eat, breathe, and sleep the new data, so they can fall back into old-school baseball ways that are inefficient. I actually like Donnie. He would always fight for his players, especially against umpires or in the ARI or SD brawls. But as a manager he left many scratching their heads or pulling out their hair.
yes, how did managers ever get by without stats like WAR or RAA? it was impossible to tell if Willie Mays was a better player than Charlie James. LOL
Not entirely convinced you read my post if that’s what you got from it. My point was he may be an “amazing baseball guy” but that doesn’t make you a good manager in today’s game, especially if you make indefensible decisions in-game.
X2
Well that does not help his waiver trade status. Might be cheaper, but few will be interested I would think.
Immatureness at its finest
Immatureness is not a word
Rizzuto is not a word. He’s a BASEBALL player!
Hah.
Hah.
Comment on the day.
Dang. Should’ve traded him.
What a professional
Gee, wonder why they couldn’t find a partner for him.
I dont understand how someone who is hitting reasonably well particularly of late, and is a truly elite defender with arguably the best arm in the game finds himself in this predicament, surely it must be his off-field issues weighting heavily into these Dodger decisions.
Ditto
He’s an above avg defender per defense metrics. Just because you see him making diving plays and throwing people out on occasion doesn’t make him a plus defender. Have you watched the majority of the games this year??? He misplays more balls than a kid lost in the country. Some he recovers and makes a diving play that makes the highlights. That’s not good defense. Not to count to numerous times he forgets how many outs there are and people tag up and advance bases on him.
Maybe he can be part of the yankees future haha
Gross
The Yanks future is looking a lot better than the Angels.
I was hoping the Orioles would jump in and get him for nothing. A move to Camden Yards with that lineup I think he would produce. Trumbo move to dh. I think he could have been better than what Steve Pearce is going to give them.
im sure theres a dozen or so team fans that would think the same!
No way Buck lets Puig in that clubhouse.
big surprise
Front office finding new ways to be a colossal disappointment.
He must really have an attitude problem. It’s a shame because he has skill. I would think a team like the phillies or another that is in rebuild but has the money would gamble on him since he’s only 25. Must be something really wrong.
His main problem has been his hamstrings not his performance on the field. I wouldn’t want to be pushed out either.
he’s been fairly fit this season, played 81 games out of 100. it would honestly appear that the reason they attempted to trade him and potentially will DFA him is his declining batting and OPS numbers, overlooking his elite defense and cannon arm.
That’s the odd thing – since being back in the lineup, he’s actually hit quite well.
He’s ripped the ball since coming back. If I went a month of solid .300+ BA with .800+ OPS I’d be pissed if I got sent down. He already said he’d accept a trade as business, so we have to assume he’s taking offense to the demotion. It makes zero sense. Reddick has put up .258/.327/.423 since coming off the DL (roughly the same time frame). Toles has 38 career at bats. He’s not a franchise cornerstone. Why demote the club’s hottest player other than purely being stubborn?
He’s ripped the ball since coming back. If I went a month of solid .300+ BA with .800+ OPS I’d be upset if I got sent down. He already said he’d accept a trade as business, so we have to assume he’s taking offense to the demotion. It makes zero sense. Reddick has put up .258/.327/.423 since coming off the DL (roughly the same time frame). Toles has 38 career at bats, so he’s not exactly a franchise cornerstone. Send Toles down instead. Why demote the club’s hottest player other than purely being stubborn?
He’s out of shape. No commitment to conditioning. He has had more pulled hamstrings than anyone I recall.
How about his manager? Most hamstring issues ever. You think there’d be some sympathy.
That’s quite absurd – “he’s out of shape; no commitment to conditioning.” Hunter Pence is a workout freak and completely tore a hamstring this season. Bodies break down sometimes regardless of commitment to them.
Every Dodger is currently hurt, to be fair.
He apparently still has maturity issues big surprise. Along with lackluster performance he has had hamstring injuries for the last two years. That being said some team will try to pry him away from the Dodgers…..eventually.
I’m sure a wavier deal he will end up on the White Sox
I want this guy off the Dodgers already lol
There’s definitely something going on here. As mentioned above – he’s got an OPS of over .800 in the last 30 games, his hitting has finally come around again. Plus, elite glovework.
A trade? Sure, could have happened. But a demotion? Not sure why the Minors would be part of the thought process at all.
Yeah, something does not add up here. I had Puig figured as a platoon with Red (who doesn’t hit lefties), and no issues have surfaced with Puig in some time.
Puig is a chemistry killer. How long do you need to seein before you realize he is more trouble than he’s worth.
You’re right. How can anyone argue with the hard evidence you’ve provided? Please return to 2013 with that narrative unless you know something everyone else doesn’t.
Can’t LA still trade him without clearing waivers once he is optioned to AAA?
Nope. As long as he is on the 40 man roster, he must pass thru waivers to be dealt whether he is in the majors or the minors.
When he wasn’t traded by the deadline Puig was pretty much guaranteed to be placed on waivers. If in fact he has been demoted to the minors that’s one way to assure that nobody claims him and he become freely tradable in August. This in fact might be the entire purpose of sending him down.
The August waiver trade process, technically known as trade assignment waivers, is unique and differs from the already complicated series of other waiver rules that apply to MLB.
The optioning, technically referred to as being placed on optional assignment waivers, of Yasiel Puig off of the 25-man active roster does not mean he has been removed from the 40-man MLB reserve roster. He is signed to a MLB contract and remains on the 40-man (reserve) roster.
Puig can still be traded in August but the rules affecting him would be the same as any other MLB player who is on either the 25-man or 40-man roster. In other words, optioning Puig to the minors doesn’t mean he suddenly becomes a minor league player. He will remain a MLB player unless the Dodgers actually request release waivers on him, something they will likely not do since they are responsible for his guaranteed MLB contract. It’s also doubtful that they would place Puig on August trade assignment waivers and not revoke them or simply letting him go to another club for his remaining guaranteed salary through a claim without player compensation.
Here are the rules that govern August trades this season:
The deadline for “non-waiver” (unrestricted) trades is 4 PM (Eastern) on August 1st. No trades can be made between 4 PM and 5 PM (Eastern) on August 1st, and then beginning at 5 PM (Eastern) on August 1st and extending through to the conclusion of the MLB regular season, Trade Assignment Waivers must be secured before players on MLB 40-man rosters can be traded. (Waivers are never required to trade a player on a minor league reserve list).
If a player is placed on Trade Assignment Waivers and is not claimed, waivers are said to be “secured” and the player can be traded to any MLB club at any time, just like prior to the non-waiver trade deadline.
Trade Assignment Waivers are revocable the first time they are requested on a given player in a waiver period, so if a player is claimed, the player’s club has the option to either withdraw the waiver request and retain the player, or allow the waiver claim to stand. The player’s club has 48-1/2 hours to make this decision, and during this “window” the club has the right to trade the player to the claiming club (but ONLY to the claiming club). If the player is not traded to the claiming club before the window closes, and the player’s club chooses not to withdraw the waiver request, the player is automatically assigned to the claiming club for the $20,000 waiver price ($25,000 for Draft-Excluded and Rule 5 players) and the claiming club assumes 100% of the player’s contract. (A player with a “no trade” right can refuse both a waiver claim and a trade assignment, however).
If a player is claimed but not traded and the waiver request is subsequently withdrawn, the player cannot be placed on Trade Assignment Waivers or Optional Assignment Waivers for at least 30 days from the date the waiver request is withdrawn, and if the player is placed on Trade Assignment Waivers again before the end of the season, the waivers become irrevocable and cannot be withdrawn. A player who has a “no trade” right (full or partial) cannot be placed on Trade Assignment Waivers a second time before the end of the season unless the player first waives his “no trade” right.
Trade Assignment Waivers secured on a player on Optional Assignment to the minors or on an MLB Disabled List expire after 72 hours.
If a player on an MLB Disabled List is placed on Trade Assignment Waivers, he must be eligible to be reinstated from the DL and healthy enough to play. If waivers are secured, the player must be reinstated from the DL within 72 hours. If the player is claimed and the waiver request is subsequently withdrawn, the player must be reinstated from the DL immedialtely.
I know all of this. You managed to massively overcomplicate the point, which is that another team is less likely to claim Puig if they think the Dodgers had a good reason to demote him to the minors. If nobody claims him, he clears waivers and can be traded later in the season. This I believe might well be the plan.
Not at all true. He is still on the 40 man roster. So after the non waiver trade deadline, he must be put on waivers like everyone else. He will most certainly be claimed. 2/3 years plus an arbitration year at pennies. A club will take a shot. Now once he’s claimed the Dodgers and said team have 48 hours to make a trade. If no deal
Is Made and he’s put on waivers again then any team that claims him will get him for nothing. Which will NEVER happen
Unknown what you are saying isn’t true, but just so there’s no mistake, I know he has to clear waivers, that is what I said. My addition to this is the Dodgers might be deliberately damaging the goods by demoting him in hopes that nobody does claim him. If a team does place a waiver claim then they will have to decide whether to deal with that team or pull him back. I doubt very much that they’d waive him again if he was claimed and no trade was consummated..
I think this guy might be a troll and I definitely bit on it.
Adios, turd nugget.
lol
“stormed off” is pretty terrible reporting. Puig has created all this sensational reality tv reporting with his previous actions, but don’t forget that’s just what it is. How many other players have “well, he heard the news and congratulated his team on their new acquisition and said a fond farewell to his teammates”….. Puig has been quietly turning it around and his change in infield antics and decision making haven’t gone unnoticed by me. I just wish he had better hamstrings.
Puig is the kind of guy that feeds off this. I hope he makes the Dodgers pay since he’s on my fantasy team.
He’s been better if late. All he needs is some yoga classes to work on those hammies.
There must be more that we don’t know about. He was never given the chance to grow up to mlb. I will al ways be intrigued by his talent.
I think he would be a good fit for the Yankees… They have an influx of prospects from their recent trades… 6mill a year and free agent 2019.
Ok Yanks should send a bag of balls and ask Dodgers eat 90% of contract!
Lol
I mentioned earlier the Dodgers looking for high end starters should trade Urias and Puig for Tanaka and Gardner.
He continues to prove his immaturity.
Friedman and the Dodgers GM Platoon are not known for openness and transparency, so I hold the Dodgers FO at least partially responsible for how this went down. As I see it, there are only four responsible things that management should ever say to a player in Puig’s situation:
1) You’re our guy. You’re not going anywhere.
2) We’re optioning you to the minors.
3) We’ve just made a difficult decision about what’s best for the team and traded you.
4) NOTHING at all.
Any conversation that left Puig, his interpreter, or any other bystander thinking that Puig would “be either traded or demoted” without a definitive FO decision already having been made reflects bad judgment on management’s part.
Sure, Puig has a bit of a reputation. But how does his reaction to a Dodgers FO with reputation of its own for being opaque and aloof differ from Michael Young’s public frustration with the Rangers FO his last season in TEX?
You haven’t given an option for “We are looking at trading you – consistent with the reports everywhere…”.
They can’t tell him he has been traded already if he hasn’t – and didn’t end up being.
I think people think he was mad about the potential trade. He addressed it fairly maturely in the past few days. I think it’s the demotion that’s a slap in the face. He’s played well and it doesn’t make sense to demote him.
I completely agree – I don’t see the logic is sending him down now.
There’s most definitely more to this story than we know, we’ll see what else comes out.
Surely there has to be. Demoting a resurgent (at least since late June) Puig in favor of Toles who has played well, but has only taken 38 major league at-bats makes zero sense.
If the FO is exploring trade scenarios but unsure any will come to pass, I’d recommend a version of Option 1 or Option 4 until after the trade deadline and then a restatement of Option 1 or else Option 2 or 3 as appropriate if the FO does decide to move the player.
If Friedman deals with his players in the ham handed way he does with the fans, I can see how he’d get himself in trouble.
I wish the new ownership in Seattle would take a few more risks than NES did with the team and this being the first. Get him into a smaller city with some strong leaders like Felix Cano and Cruz and it might work out. The team has fun and gets along just needs a few more pieces. They look at a guy like Cozart who is not that much of an upgrade over what we got instead of a gut like Puig who could make the middle of our order pretty tough. Cano Cruz Seager Puig in some sort of order would be awesome.
Maybe he bought a ticket to Cuba
Hmm, new report says he was told not to report or travel with the team. That’s an entirely different scenario than Puig being expected to travel but storming off anyway.
Wow – “Rosenthal, meanwhile, has corrected his story (on Twitter) to indicate that Puig did not, in fact, “storm off.””
Absolutely ridiculous. So Puig didn’t storm off, and he was advised not to travel with the team – not him choosing to stay behind.
What exactly has Puig done wrong then? Looks like nothing.
Terrible, awful reporting from Rosenthal. It’s a shame he can;’t be held accountable for blatant false information.
So the story doesn’t add up after all. What a surprise.
Shocker huh.
I enjoy the hard work that reporters due – especially at the deadline.
But false reports that are corrected by a twitter statement are just totally unacceptable.
Agree totally. Makes me question anything else rosenthal says because he’s not getting second confirmation on a story and had to correct it. Unless he was pressured into changing it? Could that be the case?
If you pay attention, a lot of Puig reporting gets done this way. His “reputation” precedes him. The Molly Knight book has a pretty interesting part about where his mutual dislike for the media began. The media tends to paint some guys in a negative light who don’t worship the media.
Couldn’t agree more, I can’t count how many articles I’ve read that point to Puig generally being an issue off the field and in the clubhouse that don’t have a concrete instance of any such issue.
Don’t anyone hold your breath for an apology from Rosenthal in the meantime.
Well I guess some people need to take their feet out of their mouths.
Puig may be immature, but let’s all attack him for the things he’s actually done. Not things that reporters make up.
Amen, brother.
I second that motion, and BlueSky’s “Amen.”
Do I hear a hallelujah?
Or a “you tell it reverend!”
Bless you, my son.
This is fantastic. +1s to all.
Player dispays poor character by doing PEDs a few times- banned from baseball, maybe even for life.
Player displays poor character consistently throughout his career, often publicly, in front of fans, the media, his coaches, and even his fellow players- well, if he can hit, who cares? Right?
Give me a break! Ridiculous.
I feel like you picked the wrong spot to “ride the narrative”, so to speak.
Lol yes that’s exactly what I was doing!
You know, actually, it’s so terrible that Puig gets criticized at all, especially since he plays a sport I love. He’s really the victim here! He didn’t storm out? Wow, what a fine guy. He should get a medal!
Your answer comes from Will Rogers: “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
Haha I’m sorry, don’t mean to go after your guy specifically. I’m just frustrated across the board with poor displays of character in the game, and I’m amazed that it seems to be widely accepted and defended.
Hatred of a person is never acceptable, that is by definition wishing harm on someone. But certainly we can be generally disappointed in a player and wish that he was more of a class act, even if he plays for our team.
Absolute gold. Love it
I’m guessing they did not want to take a chance he would aggravate his hamstring in Colorado and just having him stay behind to get at bats in the minors to stay fresh and keep sharp.
I would not be surprised if he is back in a week or two and should be a starter against LHP. He seems to have been on a good run the last month so I’m sure he is still a part of the teams plans going forward this year since they could not trade him. He could be dealt in the offseason depending on what happens with Ethier
Puig at his worst has been pretty much league average at the plate and played an elite right field. If this is his floor, its a pretty high one. I think all of Puig’s “off the field” issues are completely overblown. All of his these issues can be summed up to one late arrival to a ball game and a speeding ticket almost 3 years ago. Then there was Molly White’s book that told the story of him and known jackass Greinke throwing his luggage off the bus coupled with Andy Van Slyke accusation that Kershaw wanted him off the team which Kershaw quickly debunked. He has become an easy target to write an attractive article about, hell think what TMZ did, dropping his name in a bar fight scandal which proved to be a Caucasian man after the video surfaced. I’m not the biggest Puig fan, but holy smoke, this guy deserves a break. To me, Chris Sale just did something far worse than anything Puig has done, but I’m sure that will be shortly forgotten about.
This, completely. Bad Puig is still a good major leaguer. I’d take him on the roster over Toles, who is an unknown. The Greinke story rubbed me the wrong way too. It was reported as though the team was against Puig, but turns out it was just Grienke being temperamental. I would suggest that if Puig WERE a Caucasian male he wouldn’t get the same ridicule. Look at a guy like Harper. He’s flashy and flips the bat and stands and watches homers, and he struggled in his first few seasons, largely due to injury. Yet Harper was just “figuring it out” rather than being considered damaged goods that need to be jettisoned.
I couldn’t agree more. Breaking news, mlb players are going do have down years. I think he needs the confidence of knowing that his starting job isn’t in jeopardy everytime he slumps. You can tell he takes every at bat like its his last and I think the pressure is getting to him, Roberts even said recently he needs to relax as he is trying to do to much at the plate. BUT this FO seems intent on changing lineups everyday/platooning/demoting players.
According to the LA Times, the Dodgers won’t comment about the situation until tomorrow.
I, like many, keenly await!
Amazing how far and fast this dude’s stock has dropped.
Pretty unprofessional for Rosenthal to run that story when it sounds like the opposite occurred. Most people will read the headlines but not the weak, after the fact correction via Twitter.
I get that reporters aren’t on site and I’m sure he didn’t witness what happened himself. So he’s relying upon sources. Well that source just burned him big time. Better not be trusting him again.
I’m sure that the Dodgers would have preferred trading Yasiel Puig but this was another, albeit surprising way, to make room for newly acquired RF Josh Reddick.
I have to believe that Puig will be even more trouble to the Dodgers with this demotion. I will be shocked if he is on their opening day roster in 2017 despite the fact that Reddick will probably be a free agent unless extended he is extended or re-signed by L.A. this winter. It’s not likely but still possible that Puig may get traded in August in a waiver deal.
Once again, the media has basically “decided” that Puig is a cancer and runs the story just to get the clicks. Turns out, he wasn’t even at the ballpark. I understand Puig needs to produce more than he has this season, but since being reactivated from the DL, he’s got an OPS above .800, and his attitude has been a major turnaround this season.
I typically believe in the FO, because I think Farhan and Friedman have been great in the past, but this one really is hard to justify. Guy with tremendous talent but an attitude problem corrects it, guy who can’t hit starts to turn it around, and JUUUUST as he’s (likely) getting his confidence back, they decide to demote him while keeping the likes of Kike Hernandez, Scott Van Slyke and Andrew Toles on the roster instead. I can’t help but be stuck here scratching my head. I try not to play armchair GM, but this one is tough.
Could puig sue rosenthal/fox for defamation?
Put him on waivers. My Braves will pick him up!!
He is not clearing waivers for sure! Lots of teams would pick him up when they say they couldn’t trade him probably cause every other GM were trying to get him for nothing! But Dodgers know his upside and he’s only 25!!!
Well, Puig did clear optional assignment waiver on Thursday per the latest report, although had another team claimed him they likely would have been revoked by the Dodgers.
It remains to be seen if Puig will clear trade assignment in the coming days, weeks or months. These waivers can also be revoked if Puig is claimed by another team.
Man… reading the vitriol at the top of this comment section. People really have a hate towards Puig ill never understand.
Yeah. Now some of it I understand. He is kind of a weird dude, and was pretty immature when he first came up, and maybe he’s isn’t the brightest bulb on the tree. But trying to make him out as if he’s a bad person, that’s something he doesn’t seem to deserve.
Blue couldn’t agree with you more!!!!!! If hes such a cancer in the locker room I know everything is not going to get out but I haven’t seen or heard anything at all of lately! This is just crazy hitting .260 Thats not bad at all and his numbers last 30 days are dam good!! Man this is just crazy!!!!
He’s polarizing, for sure. Part of the issue is that the list of “stuff Puig has actually done” is dwarfed by the “stuff people hear/assume Puig has done” list. As was the case today, nobody bothers to sort out the fact from fiction, and he doesn’t necessarily jump at the opportunity to talk to the media and set the record straight, so the narrative just stays what it is.
I’m with you on this one, I guess he’s the easiest Dodger to hate/cuban? It’s funny how all I hear is how much of an douchebag Puig is here in northern california (me being a dodger fan). I usually reply to the Giants fans with “Give me one concrete instance of Puig being an asshole” and they are shut up. Madbum here is praised for “playing the game hard” and “respecting old baseball traditions” when he barks at players for hitting homeruns off him/ stares umpires down. Meanwhile Puig hated for being a “cancer in the clubhouse”.
One of the most overrated players in recent memory, if not all time.
Wrong! He had a fantastic season with fantastic defensive plays. After that ONE season he fell back down to earth. That has happened to many players including our Derrick Norris. Norris was highly valued after one season but has done nothing since. Look at Joc Pederson of the Dodgers, same situation but not as many bonehead plays.
This is his first season below a 110 OPS+ so I’d say he’s had 3 good seasons. Injuries sapped a lot of 2015 and this season, but since coming back and (I’ve read, can’t confirm) fixing his hands, he’s back to 2013-14 form.
Puig is certainly struggling and deserved to be demoted, but the front office shouldn’t be telling a guy he’s going to be traded or optioned unless they are going to do it. He’s 25 and has showed great ability. Miami was talking like this in the offseason about Oszuna and he seems to have righted the ship.
Trade him for Rusney Castillo! !
For today’s beyond the Twitterverse take on the Puig situation:
latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-puig-mino…
If management’s explanation is to be taken at face value (YMMV), a great many of the remarks made here are far enough off base that the commenters should be careful about getting picked off.
RF is 0-16 since the demotion. How is that an improvement. How is is Puig not one of the top 25 guys on this team ? What other front office would trade van slyke for puig ? If puig was a blonde American , would he be a cancer or simply eccentric. Trade him to Atlanta so I can see him gun runners down in person.
Look. I have to tell you, I’m NOT a fan of Puig. I don’t like his antics. Bat flips when he his a single and the team is down 4 runs. Bonehead plays on the bases (even if they do work sometimes).
Clearly the Dodgers don’t want him. There has to be reasons we can only speculate about and some are probably right and some a probably wrong.
BUT as a Puig hater, the only thing I hate about him is HOW he plays the game. He doesn’t play with class. Also I think every time he swings and misses he acts like he got injured. I’ve played with “fake fragile” players like that.
HOWEVER would I want him on my team? YES! Because I think a good coaching staff and mentors could make him grow up a little and turn him into the superstar he would be. But LA is a hard place to play. NY and Boston too. He would more likely thrive in a town with a less aggressive media.
Like I said…. I don’t like him but I would take him and see if I could turn him around. Sometimes a new environment does wonders. But I think the Dodgers are over him and want to move on.
The “media” is not the problem. In fact the local media has been quite a bit kinder to Puig than it has been to ownership. The fans still love him. They were still chanting his name when he came to the plate or made a good play. The fans forgave his sometimes boneheaded mistakes because he was otherwise an exciting player. So that isn’t the problem either. So what is the problem? Maybe if you click on that link I posted earlier, you could have saved yourself a lot of speculation. Because it is actually quite clear, and also makes a lot of sense if you’ve been watching Puig play over the years.
Was on the cover of last years The Show to the Minors
Hopefully this demotion will serve as a wakeup call to this young man. With a 25 man roster expecting to compete for a championship, everyone (Coaches, Players, Trainers, Support Staff) has to row their oar in the same direction to keep the ship sailing on coarse. Every player is different and each one has to do whatever it takes to make sure they are prepared to compete at a high level every day in order to win. You can only hold their hand for so long. If his legs are too bulky and needs extra stretching or massaging, the training staff is all too ready to assist the players with their needs; but they can’t help the player if he isn’t showing up at the park early in order to receive his treatments. Coaches are at the park early waiting to work with players but again can only help the one’s that want to be helped. This kid not understanding that he has to be accountable for his actions was his ultimate demise and I hope he wakes up and smells the coffee.
I want the White Sox to get him in August. Get him with Jose Abreu and Rick Renteria. Those two would be great for him. He could play RF with Eaton back to CF and then figure things out after the season.
He makes the little joke.
The best place for Puig longer term is Cleveland….lower profile city and re-United with his buddy Uribe.