It is also known that the Dodgers is building up its pitching, and the Reds will definitely not let go of Raisel Iglesias and Anthony Desclafani, another reason that a third team is really needed to start the ball rolling, reported ESPN. The Orioles are more interested in a starter, and the Nationals are in need of a closer after the recent implosion of closer Jonathan Papelbon.
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The Mariners still seem to be caught in trade-deadline limbo – not necessarily a buyer, not necessarily a seller – but Reds slugger Jay Bruce is among the players they may be willing to bend for.
That means, for the seventh straight game, Yasiel Puig is out of the lineup, including the sixth game since he suffered right hamstring tightness while running to first base in Washington D.C.
In an interview Friday, Dodgers owner Mark Walters said the baseball operations department had not alerted him to a pending deal involving Puig.
“I don’t think we’re moving him”, Walter said. I get the feeling we’ll again be seeing some action between now and then. “He has a lot of potential”.
The Dodgers view Bruce as a clear improvement over Puig, a reality acknowledged throughout the industry.
Puig, besides his off the field issue, has been an offensive disappointment. The main problem is that he would be yet another left-handed bat in a lineup which heavily features left-handers.
In his 159 games over the past two seasons, Puig has hit a combined 18 home runs with 70 RBIs. He will turn 30 in April.
Bruce has a club option in 2017 for $13 million, so he’d demand more than what a rental player would typically cost.
The gap between the two hitters is sizable. Scouts have noticed a decrease in his athleticism, and opposing pitchers have overpowered him with fastballs. Some in the organization believe a sizable amount of his defensive value derives from the team’s preordained shifts.
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At this point it’s not so much about how great of a fit that Puig would be with the Reds, but more about how relieved the Dodgers are trying to feel by getting him off of their hands.
