Report: Dodgers 'doubtful' to recall Puig this year and they really don't need to
A report indicates that Yasiel Puig won't again play for the big-league Dodgers in 2016
By
Matt Snyder
•
2 min read
Are the Dodgers relegating Yasiel Puig to the minors for the remainder of the 2016 season? It sounds like they just might be, considering a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports. He says that "Dodgers-connected person" called it "doubtful" that Puig will be back with the big-league club this season. Heyman also reports that some opposing teams say it doesn't seem like the Dodgers want to trade him.
So they just want him in the minors and that's it? Interesting.
Puig is a dynamic talent for sure, but a polarizing personality. This season, he hasn't really played well. He's hitting .260/.320/.386 (91 OPS+) with 10 doubles and seven homers in roughly a half-season of big-league ball.
In Triple-A, he's crushing the ball, too. Through 14 games, he's hitting .396/.448/.698 with two doubles, one triple, four homers and 12 RBI.
If they are doing fine in the bigs, though, they don't have to promote him.
Has Puig's absence made the Dodgers better? They are 37-31 (.544) when he starts and 34-24 (.586) when he doesn't. He's been down since July 31, with the Dodgers going 12-9 and taking over first place -- though much of that is due to the Giants being terrible (11-25) in the second half. Josh Reddick is a superior defender, but he hasn't been hitting well. Rookie Andrew Toles, however, is hitting .347/.411/.551 in his 20 games. We haven't heard any reports of him being a headache in the locker room, either.
Even if the difference is small, it makes sense for the Dodgers to take a Crash Davis ("never (eff) with a winning streak") approach here. They are moving along fine without Puig, so why bring him back?
As for why they wouldn't trade him, it makes sense. His seven-year, $42 million deal runs through 2018 and he's actually arbitration-eligible one year after that before hitting free agency. They would ostensibly be selling him low and the list of buyers might not be too long right now.
Looking ahead to the offseason, it's possible the list of buyers would be longer, notably once most of the big-name free agents (Jose Bautista, Ian Desmond, maybe Yoenis Cespedes et al) are off the board. Or maybe the Dodgers just want him to start fresh with the team next season before deciding another course of action.
They don't have to deal him and they don't have to bring him back up. So they are just leaving him in the minors. Even if it might sound weird to some, it's probably the best course of action -- at least unless they start to play poorly or suffer another injury to an outfielder.
