Braves could reportedly pursue Yasiel Puig

Yasiel Puig has likely played his last game for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and one team that might be able to afford taking on the restoration project is the Atlanta Braves.

According to a report by Jim Bowden of ESPN on Thursday, the Braves could explore a pursuit of the mercurial outfielder. Since they currently have the worst record in the league, Atlanta would have first priority in a potential waiver claim of Puig should the Dodgers place him there. Bowden also notes that if that effort fails, the Braves may consider trading a mid-level pitching prospect for the Cuban defector.

Puig, 25, was recently demoted to the minor leagues by the Dodgers after their acquisition of outfielder Josh Reddick at the trade deadline. They have long been open to dealing away Puig, and the Braves have a void at the right field position (aging veterans Nick Markakis and Jeff Francoeur notwithstanding) and not a lot to lose.

There is obviously significant risk that comes with adding Puig, especially considering how his performance on the field (he’s batting just .258 in his last two seasons combined) no longer allows for his foolhardy behavior off it to be tolerated. But Puig is the very definition of a buy-low guy right now, so the Braves might find a dice roll on him to be a decent enough investment.

H/T Baseball Reddit