Yasiel Puig Trade Rumors: Clayton Kershaw Wants LA Dodgers To Trade Puig

Yasiel Puig trade rumors have popped up again. Now Clayton Kershaw wants the LA Dodgers to trade Yasiel Puig if a report from CBS Sports is to be believed. Quoting former Seattle Mariners coach Andy Van Slyke, the article gives a scathing report of how Kershaw feels the Dodgers need to trade Puig immediately.

Andy Van Slyke is also the father of Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke, giving a reason for fans to believe that there might be something to these rumors. It certainly isn’t the first story suggesting that Puig has worn out his welcome in Los Angeles, but this would be the first time Clayton Kershaw has been linked to the disharmony. Andy Van Slyke said all this in an interview with CBS Sports Radio 920.

“This is just between you and I. When the best player — the highest paid player on the Los Angeles Dodgers — goes to the GM and… is asked what are [the needs of the Los Angeles Dodgers], this particular highest-paid player said, ‘The first thing you need to do is get rid of Puig.’ That’s all you need to know.”

Yasiel Puig trade rumors had subsided a bit after the LA Dodgers fired manager Don Mattingly. The Dodgers had been eliminated from the postseason again, with Mattingly taking a lot of the blame for the highest-paid team in baseball coming up short again. Now it seems that Puig is about to get some of that blame, even though it had seemed like the dust might settle on trade rumors that included his name.

In three seasons with the Dodgers, Puig has played in 131 games. He has posted a.294 batting average over 1,222 at-bats, with 130 extra base hits, 149 RBIs, and 188 runs scored. Baseball Reference has him at a WAR of 10.0 over those three seasons while making just under $14 million. After coming off a season where he batted just.255 with a.758 OPS, Puig is now projected to hit.288 with an.840 OPS in the 2016 MLB season.

Puig will turn 25 on December 7, showing that he still has a lot of baseball left in his career. He is also under team control for three more seasons, with a contract that pays him about $7.2 million 2016, about $8.2 million in 2017, and about $9.2 million in 2018. Baseball Reference indicates he is arbitration eligible for the 2019 season before becoming a free agent for the 2020 season.

With the potential that he has shown and the team control that his contract provides, it shouldn’t surprise fans that new Yasiel Puig trade rumors have surfaced. After getting placed on waivers toward the end of the 2015 MLB season, it has appeared as though the front office is also very willing to entertain proposals. As previously reported on the Inquisitr, another franchise also claimed him while he was on waivers. The Dodgers pulled back Puig, though, and didn’t come to terms on a deal at that time.

With quite a few teams needing a new outfielder this offseason, it appears as though the market could lend itself well to a Puig trade. The Dodgers might be able to bring back a good starting pitcher to help fill out the rotation or several good prospects to help with the long-term success of the team. Acquiring a pitcher might become a necessity if Zach Greinke decides to leave the Dodgers in free agency.

A lot of the Major League Baseball offseason still has to take place before Spring Training rolls around again, so the Los Angeles Dodgers don’t have to rush a deal. The 25-man roster still has too many outfielders on it, though, so a Yasiel Puig trade might just help clear things up a bit. Is there a team out there that is willing to overpay to acquire him right away?

[Photo by: Scott Cunningham/Getty Images]