MLB Teams Who Can, Should Pursue Yasiel Puig Hard at the Winter Meetings
What a difference a year makes.
At the end of the 2014 season, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was coming off a fantastic campaign and was widely considered one of the top young players in MLB.
Fast-forward a year later, and Puig's name is consistently coming up in the headlines for the wrong reasons. With rumors swirling that the Dodgers are becoming fed up with his antics, let's take a look at a few teams that can and should pursue the enigmatic Cuban.
The teams on this list have a few things in common. First and foremost, they each have young, controllable starting pitchers that would entice L.A. into a potential deal. The other similarity is that each of the following organizations has significant holes in the outfield.
The Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and New York Mets seem to be the likeliest trade partners if the Dodgers eventually do wind up moving Puig. We'll dive into what type of package each of those squads can offer L.A., and why Puig would be a slam-dunk acquisition for each.
What is your opinion on Puig? What's his true value? Would you want your team to pursue him on the trade market? Let us know in the comments section below.
The 24-year-old has captivated MLB's imagination since his arrival in 2013. His time in Los Angeles may be coming to an end, but there is no shortage of teams that could use his services.
Let's look at a handful of teams that fit the mold.
Atlanta Braves
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Phase one of rebuilding the Atlanta Braves is complete.
Behind president of baseball operations John Hart and general manager John Coppolella, Atlanta has accrued a treasure trove of young pitching prospects. Considering the price tags on free-agent hurlers this winter and the lack of options that will be available in the 2017 class, Atlanta's collection of young arms might be more valuable currency than immense payrolls.
Eventually, the Braves are going to need to turn some of that pitching talent into everyday position players. Atlanta seems ready to initiate the second phase of its rebuild, and Shelby Miller could be the initial domino to fall.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, "Half the teams in the majors have called the Braves, and the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Giants are particularly interested." Baseball Essential has reported that talks between the Braves and the Dodgers have revolved around young L.A. outfielder Joc Pederson.
But why not Puig? He's proved he can hit major league pitching and the Braves could sorely use a talented outfielder. Atlanta outfielders ranked 29th in MLB in WAR in 2015. Both Pederson and Puig come with risk, but the former's track record when healthy is much more impressive.
Puig would also give the Braves some much-needed star power. With all the acquisitions the Hart/Coppolella regime has made since taking over the club, Freddie Freeman is the only recognizable face that remains. Puig's acquisition would serve as a valuable marketing tool as the Braves enter their new stadium in 2017.
There's no guarantee that Puig would fare any better with the old-school nature of Fredi Gonzalez than he did with Don Mattingly, but he's bound to grow up at some point, right? A change of scenery could be just what Puig needs to see his attitude mature enough to match his immense skill.
Baltimore Orioles
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The Baltimore Orioles entered the offseason with plenty of questions that needed answering. Puig may not seem like an attainable solution on the surface, but a move to the AL East makes sense for both sides.
The Orioles are another team in need of outfield help, as that unit ranked 28th in MLB in WAR last season. Puig would obviously improve that total, but he'd also act as reassurance if Baltimore is unable to re-sign slugger Chris Davis.
Baltimore can also afford to extend Puig if he acclimates well to a new city. As of now, the O's have long-term money invested in Adam Jones, Ubaldo Jimenez and J.J. Hardy. That's it. If a Puig/Baltimore union proves to be a match made in heaven, a lengthy extension wouldn't be an issue.
So what does Baltimore have to offer? It may not be the most attractive of packages on paper, but L.A. would definitely consider a deal involving either Kevin Gausman or closer Zach Britton.
Gausman has some of the best stuff in MLB, but he's yet to fully harness his ability. The highly touted prospect sat in the mid-90s with his heater in 2015, maxing out at 100 mph on occasion. His 4.25 ERA isn't going to excite anyone, but his strikeout and walk figures prove the stuff is there.
If Gausman isn't enticing enough, Britton may get the job done. L.A. already has a superb closer in Kenley Jansen, but the addition of Britton would take the Dodgers pen to the next level. Britton has posted a sub-2.00 ERA in each of the last two seasons and produces more ground-ball contact than any reliever in MLB.
Another piece would likely need to be included on Baltimore's end, but Gausman and Britton are out-of-the-box options that would give L.A. the value needed to move a talent like Puig.
Cleveland Indians
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There may not be a better partnership in terms of a potential Puig deal than with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians.
L.A. has a logjam of outfielders and can part with Puig in the right deal in order to improve its rotation. Cleveland has the same "problem" with its rotation and has serious issues offensively.
The Indians scored 669 runs in 2015, which put them 11th out of 15 AL squads. Cleveland's lack of punch doomed its playoff hopes, as its rotation finished second in the AL in ERA and topped MLB in strikeouts per nine innings.
A few weeks ago, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported that the Indians would be willing to part with an MLB-ready starter in favor of offensive upgrades. 2014 AL Cy Young Corey Kluber isn't going anywhere, and Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer wouldn't be enough to pry Puig away from the Dodgers.
That leaves right-hander Carlos Carrasco. The 28-year-old posted a 3.63 ERA on the heels of a 2.55 mark in 2014. His 10.58 K/9 ranked fifth in all of baseball last season, and he's under contract for five more seasons at a bargain for $37.5 million.
Puig's reasonable contract would also fit well into Cleveland's modest payroll. As for his development, a manager like Terry Francona may be the type of leader to bring the best out of the enigmatic outfielder.
Cleveland and L.A. are both ready to win in 2016, and a Puig-for-Carrasco swap would put both teams in a better position to do so. If the Dodgers really do decide to take on the risk of trading Puig, acquiring the immediate impact like Carrasco would provide would be the ideal scenario.
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New York Mets
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A Cuban outfielder in Queens? It worked for the New York Mets in 2015, so why not catch lightning in a bottle twice?
The Mets scuffled offensively before the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes last summer, ranking 28th in MLB in runs scored in the first half. After Cespedes joined the club at the deadline, the Mets improved to third in baseball in that category.
Unfortunately for the Mets, the club doesn't seem willing to pay Cespedes what it looks like he'll demand on the free-agent market. Without him and the expected loss of Daniel Murphy, the Mets will be hard-pressed to return to the World Series, no matter how dominant their pitching staff is.
Enter Puig. The 24-year-old would fit in nicely in the Mets lineup. He's coming off a subpar, injury-filled year, but he's a better all-around player than Cespedes when he's healthy.
Puig to the Mets also makes sense financially—he's owed $24.6 million over the next three seasons. Even with the baggage, that's a bargain for a player with a career slash line of .294/.371/.487.
Because the Mets would have Puig under contract through the 2018 season, they'd likely be more inclined to part ways with one of their impressive young pitchers. Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard would be off-limits, but Steven Matz could become expendable if the Mets want to roll the dice on Puig.
Matz posted a 2.27 ERA in his first six MLB starts this season. He also pitched well in the postseason, allowing a 3.68 ERA in three starts. The Mets wouldn't love giving the southpaw up, but Puig's team-friendly contract would soften the blow.
Without Cespedes and Murphy, it's hard to envision the Mets scoring enough runs to support their elite staff. There's definitely risk flipping a talented young starter for the enigmatic Puig, but it's probably a safer decision than getting into bed with a free-agent bat on a high-dollar, long-term commitment.
All stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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