Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Roberts To Handle Puig With Respect

When you get down to it, Puig might be the second-highest priority of the Dodgers’ offseason.

Carl Crawford is probably too expensive/injury prone/non-productive to move without eating a huge amount of salary and Andre Ethier was last season’s only at least decently-consistent outfielder, making trading him quite the gamble.



Joc Pederson might take a step forward, but he could also continue his late-season struggles, too. Puig is the Dodgers’ most talented and cost-efficient outfielder as the roster currently stands.


ICYMI: Why The Dodgers Shouldn’t Trade Yasiel Puig


 

So, with all that said, one would have to imagine Dave Roberts has his work cut out for him in dealing with the polarizing right fielder. Here’s what he had to say at his introductory press conference Tuesday afternoon:

Roberts was obviously going to say all the right things in that presser, and he did just that.

After the press conference ended, Roberts met with a few beat writers and bloggers in a separate grouping of questions where he expanded on the topic. It starts with core values:

An example used in that brief scrum with reporters was how Clayton Kershaw has earned the privilege to certain things that maybe Pederson hasn’t. While in a perfect world, everyone would be treated exactly equally, this simply isn’t how things work.

It’s when obvious double-standards pop up that players start to get frustrated.

With Puig, some in the clubhouse reportedly got frustrated not just with his behavior on and off the field, but with how the previous coaching administration dealt with him.

This will remain a touchy subject until it isn’t, either by some solution while Puig remains on the roster or with a personnel move.

NEXT: David Price Signs With Red Sox

Staff Writer

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