Yasiel Puig Trade Rumors: LA Dodgers Could Really Trade Puig To Address Pitching Needs

Yasiel Puig trade rumors have surfaced again as the LA Dodgers look for more pitching. A Puig trade could certainly net a top-of-the-rotation starter, but the important question is whether or not the Dodgers would really trade the young outfielder. A report from Fox Sports late Friday (July 24) states that it would take a lot, but the Dodgers would be willing to deal the All-Star outfielder. That might be distressing news to some fans, and yet welcome news to others.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, a recent poll of Dodgers fans revealed an overwhelming sentiment that not only should Yasiel Puig be traded, but that manager Don Mattingly needed to be fired. One such trade rumor that has been floating around is the Dodgers dealing Puig and two prospects to the Cincinnati Reds for pitchers Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman. Turns out the team would not want to do that deal, especially since Cueto is a free agent at the end of the 2015 MLB season.

So among all the Yasiel Puig trade rumors, which is the one that the LA Dodgers would like to undertake? Baseball analyst Ken Rosenthal reported that the team would be looking for equal value in return. That likely includes a long-term player coming back, especially since Puig is under team control through the 2019 MLB season. In that regard, Cueto and Chapman would just be rentals, which doesn’t even address the two prospects the Dodgers would need to give up.

Also prevalent in this discussion is that many teams are checking in with the Dodgers about acquiring Puig. The Dodgers still have Andre Ethier, Joc Pederson, Carl Crawford, and Scott Van Slyke as outfielders on the roster if the team made a deal. The other facet of the discussion is that the Dodgers are not desperate to make a move. The team is still on pace to easily secure a spot in the 2015 MLB Playoffs. At last glance, the Dodgers (56-42) still hold a three-game lead in the National League West and a 3 1/2 game lead over the second wild-card team.

There are some interesting scenarios that analysts have floated, including dealing Puig to the Oakland Athletics for Sonny Gray or to the Chicago White Sox for Chris Sale. There was even chatter that the New York Mets would give up one of the three aces to acquire a big bat. At this point, the Yasiel Puig trade rumors don’t seem to point to an imminent deal, but anything could happen before the July 31 MLB trade deadline. That the team might actually be willing to deal him could also be seen as a step toward something surfacing soon.

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