Various trade rumors engulfed the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason, specifically regarding their outfield. What seemed to be an unsolvable logjam actually ended up providing necessary depth due to the struggles and injuries to a few of their outfielders.
However, this offseason might be different and the Dodgers could look to more aggressively trade a couple of their outfielders to other MLB teams. Those players include Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier.
Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of keeping and trading Puig, who is the most talked about player on the team. Here's what he had to say about potentially trading the 24-year-old:
"Trade him now before it's too late. He doesn't have a friend in the clubhouse, has an outlandish sense of entitlement and has devolved into an average outfielder.
"What to do, what to do?
"By now it is no secret the disdain Yasiel Puig is held in by most in the Dodgers clubhouse. His inconsistent work habits, his tardiness, his constant need to be the center of attention, and now, his mediocre offensive output, have all left teammates tired of the Yasiel Puig Show.
"The Dodgers still have too many outfielders, and if Puig's trade value is not what it once was, he is still viewed as a five-tool talent who could yet mature and develop into one of baseball's best overall players. And he's only owed $24.6 million over the next three years."
I mean, the Dodgers got rid of a good manager in Don Mattingly. Would they really hesitate to move Puig? Probably not, but perhaps the new front office wants to at least get a look at him when he's 100% healthy. Nothing really went right for Puig in 2015 and to give up on such a young talent at this point might not be the most prudent of decisions.
So say they keep Puig. Can they really find suitors for Crawford and/or Ethier?
"The Dodgers need improved offense, and perhaps a full year from Corey Seager plus improved hitting for Puig and Joc Pederson will go along way toward accomplishing that, but folks aren't ruling out a possible trade of Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier, which could allow LA to compete for a big-hitting outfielder such as Justin Upton or perhaps even Chris Davis," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
It won't be as easy as it sounds.
Crawford, who also cannot stay healthy (he's played in 321 games over the past four seasons), is making over $40 million through 2017, so it'll be near impossible to trade him unless the spendthrift Dodgers' owners eat a majority of his salary to just get him out of town.
Ethier might be their most likely trade piece. Although he's owed a good chunk of money through 2017 (at least $36.5 million), he displayed this year that he's capable of producing offensively and playing solid defense. He batted .294/.366/.486 with 54 runs scored, 14 home runs ad 53 RBIs in just 395 at-bats.
Los Angeles was in talks with the Baltimore Orioles this past year about a deal for Ethier, but nothing ever came to fruition. There's a need for productive left-handed hitting, so if the Dodgers can go back on their promise to pay for half of Ethier's contract in a trade, a lot more teams might be lining up to make such a deal this offseason.
After all, the Dodgers are looking to take that next step and it's probably not going to happen with Crawford and Ethier in the outfield. They're expected to be active in free agency, so don't be surprised if they make trades to make room for some high-profile names.
