A few days ago, a friend sent a video to me via Instagram. It was a video of Yasiel Puig, who currently plays in the KBO.
While watching the video, I was thinking about Puig's career in the MLB and the Dodgers sent him to the Reds in December 2018.
In December 2018, the Dodgers decided to send 4 players and cash to the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds received Yasiel Puig, Kyle Farmer, Matt Kemp and Alex Wood . At the same time, the Reds sent Josiah Gray, Jeter Downs and Homer Bailey to the Dodgers.
Looking back at this trade, Yasiel Puig didn’t spend too much time in Cincinnati. Puig only played 100 games for the Reds, hitting .252/.302/.475 with 22 home runs and 61 RBI. On July 31, 2019, Puig was traded to the Indians. Moreover, Alex Wood and Matt Kemp didn’t contribute much to the Reds. Matt Kemp was released by the Reds in May 2019. Before being released, Kemp only batted .200/.210/.283 with 1 home runs and 5 RBI over 20 games. Meanwhile, injury limited Wood’s playing time in Cincinnati, he only tossed 35.2 innings for the Reds in 2019, posting a 5.80 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Nonetheless, the good news is that Kyle Farmer is quite reliable in the Reds lineup. It’s Farmer’s fourth season with the Reds. By far this season, Kyle Farmer hits .264/.332/.388 with 5 home runs and 41 RBI.
And for the Dodgers, they released Homer Bailey the next day after the trade. So, Bailey didn’t throw a single pitch for the Dodgers. But, we have to pay more attention to Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray.
In February 2020, the Dodgers, the Red Sox and the Twins had reportedly agreed to a blockbuster trade. But, in the end, it became two trades. The Dodgers received Mookie Betts, David Price and cash from the Red Sox, at the same time, Jeter Downs, Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong were sent to the Red Sox.
Alex Verdugo has been an everyday outfielder for the Red Sox since the trade and he is hitting .268/.314/.382 with 6 HRs and 47 RBI so far this season. Connor Wong made it into the big leagues on June 22, 2021 and Jeter Downs just made his MLB debut on June 22, 2022.
On the Dodgers side, David Price decided to opt out of the 2020 season. Last season, Price tossed 73.2 innings and this season, he threw 22.1 innings so far. Furthermore, Mookie Betts has been a key player for the Dodgers. He signed a 12-year extension with the Dodgers in 2020. In the shortened season, he hit .292/.366/.562 with 16 home runs and 39 RBI. Moreover, he batted .296/.378/.493 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI in the 2020 postseason. Mookie Betts is selected to the 2022 All-Star game. So far, he slashes .271/.348/.539 with 20 HRs and 46 RBI.
Josiah Gray made his debut as a Dodger last July. In total, he tossed 8 innings for the Dodgers and he was traded to the Nationals with Keibert Ruiz, Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey. Meanwhile, the Dodgers acquired three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and All-Star shortstop Trea Turner.
Josiah Gray threw 62.2 innings for the Nationals last season and by far this season, he already made 16 starts for the Nationals, posting a 4.14 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Moreover, Keibert Ruiz is batting .255/.315/.356 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI thus far.
Max Scherzer made 11 starts for the Dodgers in 2021, he earned 7 wins and didn’t take any losses. Additionally, he had a great 1.98 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. Trea Turner was hitting .338/.385/.565 with 10 HRs and 28 RBI for the Dodgers last year. This season, he keeps showing that he’s one of the best hitters in the majors. Turner now hits .303/.352/.483 with 12 home runs and 63 RBI.
Yasiel Puig has played 69 games for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO, batting .241/.329/.409 with 9 home runs and 37 RBI. Looking back at the trade in 2018, the Dodgers sent him and other players to the Reds and acquired two prospects, Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray. Later on, Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray became key pieces of other blockbuster trades. In these trades, the Dodgers are able to get top players such as Mookie Betts and Trea Turner. That truly shows how important the trade between the Reds and the Dodgers was.
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