Dodgers Rumors: Are the Braves Interested in Acquiring Yasiel Puig?

The Los Angeles Dodgers have yet to make any more moves with Yasiel Puig after the team optioned him to the minors. Following the MLB trade deadline, the Dodgers have been quiet when it comes to any further additions or subtractions to the club.

The main question is what is going on with Puig? Has he played his last game in L.A.? While fans wait on the answers to those questions, the latest rumors have the Atlanta Braves interested in claiming Puig should he be placed on waivers.

From ESPN’s Jim Bowden:

The Atlanta Braves, who would currently have first dibs on Puig, could be a destination for the embattled outfielder. According to a source, if the Braves still have the worst record in baseball, they could make a waiver claim on Puig, should the Dodgers place him on waivers. From that point, the Braves might try to trade a mid-level pitching prospect for Puig.

Puig needs to work on 3 things: 1. His load which has become primarily an Exaggerated front shoulder turn which is not allowing him to get to any FB 92mph or greeter and 2. He needs to change his cavalier aloof attitude and become more game/practice intense and 3. Continue to learn to be a better teammate and team player. This will be a career changing moment for him … he’ll either rebound and make the adjustments necessary to either return to the Dodgers or get trade or he’ll let his uber talent go to waste which would be a shame.

This season with the Dodgers Puig is batting .260, notched 7 home runs and 34 RBIs. The Braves are 39-69 this season, which is 5th in National League East. In a deal with the San Diego Padres, the Braves recently added Matt Kemp to their roster.

Puig was optioned to the Oklahoma City Dodgers, but isn’t expected to join them until Sunday.

Source: Yasiel Puig will not join OKC until Sunday in Iowa. https://t.co/HABgiMQodk

— Jacob Unruh (@jacobunruh) August 3, 2016

Per @jacobunruh, of the two players the Dodgers optioned to OKC yesterday, Ross Stripling has a locker and Yasiel Puig doesn't.

— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) August 3, 2016

MLB.com’s national columnist Richard Justice discusses the impact of Puig’s demotion to the Minor Leagues and his status with the Dodgers moving forward.

In an interview with MLB Network Radio, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman discussed Puig:

“There are definitely things he can do to improve and get better, no question about it. It’s interesting, because I was very optimistic coming into the year, and I think he started out the first week where he did a really good job of laying off pitches middle-in. That first week, I don’t know if he hit a ball under 100 mph.

It was incredible how locked in he was. After that, he started going through a little bit of a tailspin and wasn’t nearly as productive at the plate as he expects himself to be, as we expect him to be … he then had the hamstring injury, came back … but during that time on the DL we were trying to adjust some swing issues.”

So far in his career, Puig has batted .288, racked up 53 home runs and 183 RBIs. The 25-year-old has a lot left in his career, and bursted on the scene in a huge way for the Dodgers in 2013.

However, where they will go from here is still up in the air. We asked Dodgers Nation to vote if they want Puig to come back to the Dodgers.

POLL: Do you want Yasiel Puig to come back to the #Dodgers? Tweet us your thoughts!

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) August 5, 2016

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