Yasiel Puig’s official exit from Los Angeles may finally be imminent.
According to a report by Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball on Tuesday, Puig has been claimed on waivers. Though the identity of the claimant is still unknown, the Dodgers can attempt to work out a deal with that team.
sources: puig has been claimed on waivers. dodgers can try to work out a deal with that team, if they can.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 30, 2016
Puig was demoted to the minor leagues at the beginning of the month. Since then, the Chicago White Sox and the Atlanta Braves have been mentioned amongst several potential trade partners.
But the Dodgers don’t just want to give Puig away and have reportedly turned down a number of offers for him. The 25-year-old’s contract runs through 2018 and still has $14 million left on it.
The corrosive Cuban outfielder’s value is in the sewer at the moment. As such, it would make sense for the Dodgers to wait until the winter (at which point they would be free to negotiate with any team) and allow Puig to continue reestablishing himself in Triple-A, where he has posted a .369 batting average and a 1.045 OPS since his demotion.
Still, the team could just want to close the book on the Puig era already, so we’ll see how the process plays out.
