Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig on Monday did not travel with the team to Denver for its three-game series against the Colorado Rockies, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The series is set to begin Tuesday.
Puig’s agent, Adam Katz, released the following statement to Rosenthal:
I’m told he was not at the park. The club informed me and the player understood clearly that they were making every effort to trade him and that if they were unable to come to terms with another club on a trade—and successful in acquiring another outfielder—that he likely would be demoted. My understanding is that transaction will happen tomorrow.
Rosenthal had previously reported Puig “stormed off” upon hearing the news, though he later noted Puig was told not to get on the plane.
Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman declined to comment on the situation, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times.
Puig’s future with the Dodgers certainly seems to be in jeopardy after the team acquired outfielder Josh Reddick on Monday, as “club officials had maintained that they would trade Puig only if they added another outfielder, but they did not find a taker,” per Rosenthal.
On Sunday, Puig had a measured response to trade rumors.
“If they decide to trade me, then I’ll have to go to another team and work hard there,” he told Bill Shaikin of the Times. “I just came to this country to play baseball.
“I would like to stay here. But I also understand this is a business. You never know where you are going to end up.”
As Jon Morosi of MLB Network noted, there’s another possible outcome:
Mike Petriello of MLB.com thinks if Puig were put on waivers, he’d likely wind up in a new city:
It’s been a wild ride for Puig. He was one of baseball’s darlings during his rookie year, when he hit .319 with 19 home runs in just 104 games. But his numbers have mostly declined since.
Puig has also reportedly rubbed teammates the wrong way. His declining production, along with questions about his effort, focus and ability to coexist with his teammates, have long made him the subject of trade rumors.
But Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports doesn’t see Puig being dealt:
It’s just as possible that Puig’s reported storming off is the last straw for the Dodgers, who could place him on waivers. Depending on whether he is claimed, Puig could then be kept by Los Angeles, demoted, traded, released or scooped up by another team, which would take on his contract.
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