Could Yankees Buy Low on Yasiel Puig?

After winning four games in a row, rumblings about the Yankees actually being a contender in 2016 have crept up from the abyss. Perhaps now would be an opportune time to trade for a player down on his luck, yet still full of potential.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-fielder Yasiel Puig has been a rather large disappointment in his fourth season since defecting from Cuba. Sources close to Puig have said that recent trade rumors have done nothing but add as a huge distraction for a man known to let his emotions get the best of him at times.

While Puig only played in 79 games in 2015 due to injury, he’s already completed 76 contests this season, so at the very least, it appears his questionable lower body issues are now a thing of the past.

So why is Puig struggling so mightily then? Was his 2014 campaign, when he batted .296 with 16 HR and 69 RBI while being named a National League All-Star an aberration?

Looking at his body of work over the span of 407 career contests, Puig appears to be on a similar path to that of Kansas City Royals centerfielder Lorenzo Cain, though Puig has a bit more power.

Sure, Dodger fans would like the “Wild Horse” to be more like fellow countryman Yoenis Cespedes, but at least Puig rivals him with his cannon arm and fearlessness while tracking balls near the warning track.

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Puig’s “sexy stat line” currently consists of a .256 BA, 7 HR, and 32 RBI. Throw in a .318 OBP and 33 runs scored, and it’s easy to see why the Dodgers are so frustrated with Puig; he isn’t utilizing his most pressing attributes; the ability to get on base and use his fantastic speed to make things happen for the rest of the club’s current mediocre offense.

This is why a trade to the Yankees makes total sense for both historic clubs. Puig is capable of playing all three outfield positions, he’s that athletically gifted.

Now yes, normally you’d want to keep your strongest arm in right field, but by flipping him to left, you keep the position open for Aaron Judge in 2017 (who has only ever played RF in the Yankees organization), while allowing Carlos Beltran to finish off this season in style.

As for the Yankees’ current left fielder Brett Gardner, he’s one of the parts headed back to LA in this prospective transaction. Another potentially enticing piece is 29-year-old starting pitcher Ivan Nova.

Though Nova’s ERA is 4.92, he has won seven games, and would be a much-needed addition to a Dodgers rotation that may have just lost Clayton Kershaw for the rest of the year due to a herniated disc in his back.

Though Nova will be eligible for free agency this winter, prospective pitchers up for the bidding are not all that exciting. And having made just $4.1 million this season, a huge jump in guaranteed salary doesn’t seem all that likely. At the very least, a qualifying offer would bring back draft pick compensation if Nova was to sign elsewhere.

For those asking why the Yankees would deal Nova when they may or may not all of a sudden be primed to enter the playoff race, re-read what you just read.

With the likes of Luis Severino working his way back to the big leagues after a disastrous first month, and both Chad Green and Luis Cessa waiting in the wings, dealing Nova, who has only added to the inconsistencies of this year’s club is a no-brainer.

Brett Gardner, now 32 years of age, actually has very comparable numbers to that of Puig this season; .259 BA, 6 HR, and 23 RBI. Yes, Gardy does have 13 SB and 52 runs scored as compared to Puig’s five and 33, but at this point in their careers, a swap of the two actually benefits both clubs because it fills needs they each currently have.

The Dodgers have been using career second baseman Howie Kendrick as their everyday left fielder, while Kike Hernandez (another infielder by trade) and Andre Ethier have both been relegated to the disabled list. Neither have much in the way of arm strength nor are they exactly fleet of foot.

On top of this, manager Dave Roberts has been forced to use the aforementioned Kendrick, or 14-year vet Chase Utley (depending on the pitching matchup) as his club’s leadoff hitter; both of whom have a lower OPB and amount of runs scored than that of Gardner.

As for how this further works on the Yankees’ side of the ball: having both Jacoby Ellsbury and Gardner in your everyday outfield, while malignantly batting them first and second is a complete redundancy. The corner outfield positions are supposed to be power slots. It’s fine to carry one light hitting speedster, but not two when you have trouble consistently scoring runs!

The New York market would welcome the 25-year-old Puig with open arms (keeping those arms open would depend on his production), and we all know that the front office is hungry for a big-ticket item to sell to fans.

Puig is the type of player who can pretty much bat anywhere from second through seventh in the lineup, depending upon what kind of streak ~~(mood)~~ he is in at the time. I bet Joe Girardi would love to add a power right-handed bat to his left-handed heavy lineup ASAP.

Another added bonus would be the new, all-important savings of salary that acquiring Puig offers. Not counting this season, Puig is only on the books until the end of the 2018 campaign for a total of $17,356,000; while Gardner is guaranteed $25,156,000 through 2019, although that final year could be worth as much as $12.5 million through a team option.

No offense to Gardy, but he isn’t worth $37.5 million over the next three-plus seasons to the Yankees at his current production value.

I don’t doubt that many Yankee fans would complain this deal looks uneven on paper because of the numbers. But it really isn’t. Gardner’s best days are behind him. He’ll never again hit 16 home runs and drive in 66 runs batted in like he did last season. But as a member of the Dodgers, he brings a dimension that is sorely missed, a true leadoff hitter.

Puig on the other hand badly needs a change of scenery, and at only 25 years of age, still holds the potential within him to turn into the type of player that currently resides in Queens (I’m talking about Cespedes!).

Adding an electric, somewhat knuckle-headed, spark plug who has yet to enter his prime baseball playing years and doesn’t come with much monetary investment is exactly the type of deal Brian Cashman has been prone to making over the past year and a half (Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks).

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Now should not be the time that the Yankees decide to play it safe. Yes, adding Puig’s attitude and overall playing style to the mix is a gamble. But it’s one that could set this organization up for the future while also staying in contention long enough to prove the doubters wrong.

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