A very short time is left for the non-waiver Monday trading deadline and it is rumored that Los Angeles Dodgers is getting creative to acquire Cincinnati Reds Jay Bruce. It is said that Dodgers is looking for a third team to strike a deal with.
The Dodgers are very much interested to acquire outfielder Jay Bruce and is also planning to unload Yasiel Puig. The word on the street is, Puig and another pitching players will be sent to a third team, speculated to be the Tampa Bay Rays, who will then send hitters to the Reds. Another setup could be, Dodgers and Reds receive a starter from Rays, and they trade players by winter. Sports Illustrated reported.
The L.A. team seems to be getting the hang of doing a three-team deal. Last year, they acquired Trayce Thompson, together with Marlins and Braves. During the previous off-season, they also landed a deal with Angel's Howie Kendrick and Phillies Jimmy Rollins.
It is also known that the Dodgers is building up its pitching, and the Reds will definitely not let go of Raisel Iglesias and Anthony Desclafani, another reason that a third team is really needed to start the ball rolling, reported ESPN.
Bruce has an .815 OPS and slugging .515, but only 111 plate appearance. Puig, on the other hand has .693 OPS, slugging percentage is at .376, but have 225 plate appearance. Back in 2014, Puig finished sixth on the National League, with an .863 OPS. However, Puig's performance went down drastically after joining L.A.
Several report mentioned that Puig does not have a taker yet, even though he is only 25 and still in control until 2018 for merely US$17.4 million.
There are other trade scenarios, as well as reports of other teams like Nationals, Orioles, Mariners, and the Mets getting involved.
