2. OF Yasiel Puig
As previously mentioned, outside of 11 home runs and nine steals, Yasiel Puig is not producing much of anything offensively right now, as he strikes out at a high rate (62 times; 25.2 percent) while taking few walks (13; 5.3 percent). But he does have a hit in five of his last six games entering Thursday, which serves as a sign of life and, more importantly, hope for what has to be a minuscule trade value.
Puig is somehow still only 28 years old, albeit with the fading potential of untapped upside to go with a personality that can rub others (teammates and opponents) the wrong way. But with an expiring contract, he’s a tradable asset based on name value and whatever may linger regarding the perception of his potential with the remaining 28 teams (excluding the Dodgers, of course). As a rental, another team could make a bet on getting a focused version of Puig as he puts an eye on a new contract.
If Puig manages to get on the kind of hot streak he has been known get on, there will be a team or two that thinks he has figured something out for the long haul regardless of below-the-surface evidence that he probably hasn’t. The Reds have to be betting on that kind of hot streak to inspire confidence from a contender or two over the coming weeks. Then they can sell high, and get a slightly better asset to add to a solid Minor League system.