Dodgers 'aggressively' trying to trade any outfielder ... except Puig: Report

The Dodgers are reportedly looking to create space on their roster and are "aggressively" trying to trade any of their outfielders ... any of them not named Yasiel Puig.

According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers are looking to trade either Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, or Andre Ethier from their crowded outfield.  The team is also willing to include money in the deal to help teams supplement some of their significant contracts.

Kemp's availability is the most intriguing because his place on the trade market creates a excellent possibility for teams looking for a right-handed hitter with power. And this news comes as general managers made their way to Phoenix Sunday night and today for the beginning of the general manager meetings.

Sources: #Dodgers aggressively trying to move Kemp, Crawford or Ethier. Puig not in play.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014

#Dodgers' Kemp obviously drawing attention, but some teams prefer a left-handed hitter such as Ethier or Crawford.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014

Still, all three outfielders are under contract and owed a lot of money:

• Kemp: $21 million in 2015; $21.5 million every season between 2016-19
• Crawford: $20.5 million in 2015; $20.75 million in ’16 and $21 million in ’17
• Ethier: $18 million in 2015; $18 million in ’16, $17.5 million in ’17, and a $17.5 million club option in ’18 with a $2.5 million buyout

Additionally, all three outfielders are in their 30’s, and in the case of Kemp and Crawford, are injury-prone. Despite their obvious talent, acquiring one of the three will be a risk for any team.

Trent Boult makes greatest cricket catch ever (VIDEO)

Trent Boult pulled off an incredible catch in New Zealand's second T20 match against the West Indies on Sunday, stepping over the boundary to grab the ball one-handed, flip it in the air and dive back in to snatch it again to take the wicket of Kieron Pollard.

For all us baseball snobs who wouldn't know a wicked googly from a naughty search engine, many cricket fans are calling this Puig-like catch the greatest of all time.

Here's how Britain's Daily Mail described the action: 

Boult was standing on the boundary when West Indies' Kieron Pollard mowed Corey Anderson into the leg-side.

The ball was going over his head so the New Zealand fielder caught it with one hand (which was remarkable in itself) and threw the ball up into the air to avoid carrying it over the boundary for six.

Boult's effort is possibly even better than the catches taken by the Aaron Finch/Adam Lyth combination for Yorkshire this summer.

I have no idea what that means, but judge the Kiwi's catch yourself below.

Yasiel Puig comes out of nowhere to rob Mets on incredible diving catch (VIDEO)

Yasiel Puig comes out of nowhere and extends his body to make this outstanding catch on a fly ball to right-center robbing Wilmer Flores of a hit Thursday night. 

The Dodgers rightfielder even got a standing ovation from highlight-starved Mets fans at Citi Field for the amazing, diving, backhanded stab.

And the Mets also chimed in.

Wilmer just got Puig-ed.
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 22, 2014

Yangervis Solarte executes Puig-like bat flip ... after a walk (GIF)

During Wednesday night's game against the Mets, Yangervis Solarte may have just dethroned Yasiel Puig as the King of Ill-Timed Bat Flips.

The red-hot Yankees infielder's second-inning bat flip gets a 10 for technicality — but too bad it came after a walk:

And good for him.

Solarte — who bounced around in the minors from 2005 through 2013 and was signed by the Yankees as little more than an afterthought last January — now leads the American League in batting.

After his solo homer in the 4th, Solarte toned down his act and humbly took a knee:

Dodger teammates turn Puig into human bobblehead (VIDEO)

Adrian Gonzalez and Juan Uribe had a little fun with Yasiel Puig in the Dodgers dugout during their five-run 6th inning Tuesday night.

While the Dodgers were handing out ceramic versions of Puig, his teammate's turned the real right fielder into a human bobblehead.

On second thought, it looks pretty painful.

Jeff Baker's walk-off double bounces off Yasiel Puig's face (VIDEO)

Yasiel Puig is used to putting his body on the line during a game (and real life) but on Sunday, his face came into play as well.

Puig crashed into the fence and took one to the puss during Jeff Baker’s walk-off double to cap the Marlins’ 5-4 win over the Dodgers.

It was a thrilling game before the bottom of the ninth. The Marlins took the lead three times, twice on Giancarlo Stanton home runs. The Dodgers tied it up all three times.

In the bottom of the ninth with the game knotted at four, Baker took the first pitch for a ball, then crushed a cutter out over the plate the opposite way. Puig raced to the right-field wall and attempted a leaping catch, but the ball missed his glove and caromed off the wall and into his left temple, allowing Adeiny Hechavarria to scamper home with the winning run as Puig and the ball dropped to the ground.

Game over.

Puig, who also appeared to hurt his left ankle on the way down, was attended to by Dodgers trainer Stan Conte in left field and walked off the field with his arm around Conte at least in part for support. However, a post-game concussion test was negative. The Dodgers say he is day-to-day.

Yasiel Puig celebrates home run, triple in same at-bat (VIDEO)

Yasiel Puig snaps an 0-for-11 skid by flipping his bat after what he believes is a home run in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Cardinals. In actuality, he has hit a triple. After, say, 30 feet into his bat-flip-punctuated stroll, he realizes his miscalculation and goes from a casual home run trot into overdrive. He ends up with a stand-up triple and two celebrations in one at-bat.

Matt Joyce wraps Wil Myers bat with caution tape

During Thursday's game against the Mariners, Rays outfielder Matt Joyce wrapped teammate Wil Myers bat with caution tape after the right-fielder's red-hot bat connected on an RBI single earlier in the game.

In only 47 games, Myers has been quietly putting up Yasiel Puig-like numbers and has thrust himself into AL Rookie-of-the-Year contention.

If Myers doesn't get recognition for his rookie year (.326, 9 HRs, 37 RBIs so far), Joyce might be using crime-scene tape at the end of the season.

Dodgers win on walk-off throwing error (VIDEO)

If you were wondering when the last time a Dodgers highlight reel didn't feature Los Angeles' biggest star Yasiel Puig well ... it was last night.

Puig was only an extra, excuse me, background actor when Adrian Gonzalez comes around to score the winning run on a throwing error by Fernando Rodney, giving the Dodgers a 7-6 walk-off win over the Rays.

A real horror film for Tampa Bay film buffs.

Puig makes incredible catch off wall at Wrigley Field (VIDEO)

Has anyone made so many ridiculous catches in such a short span of time as Yasiel Puig? It seems like the Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right fielder tacks one or two grabs onto his highlight reel every game.

Even when the catch doesn't count as an out, Puig makes it interesting — like this one at Wrigley Field.

After initially ruling this catch an out, the umpires conferred and made the right call. The rules state a fielder must catch th e ball "in flight" for the play to be an out, and a ball deflected off the wall is not considered "in flight."

But this is still one sensational play. The reflexes, vision and hand-eye coordination to make the grab are unbelievable. And, at least the fan in the bamboo sedge hat called it an out.

Yankees bring out the A-List crowd at Dodger Stadium

What happens when you combine the Dodgers and Yankees — two of the most storied baseball franchises in history — with Tinseltown?  More high-wattage celebrities than your Ray-Bans can handle, that's what.

When the New Yorkers, with what recently seems like a B-List roster, invaded Dodger Stadium Tuesday night, there seemed to be more A-List stars sitting in the blue seats than strutting on your typical red carpet —  or at least a Lakers-Knicks game.

Chavez Ravine Tuesday was the place where big names from the world of sports, music and film got to chomp on Dodger Dogs and see up-and-coming Yasiel Puig and soon-to-be going Mariano Rivera  in the flesh.

Spotted in the stadium crowd were Rob Reiner, LL Cool J, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Jay-Z, Dodger legend Tommy LaSorda and team co-owner Magic Johnson. But the brightest Klieg was reserved for, who else, Jack Nicholson.

Not a B-Lister among the lot. Hooray for Hollywood.

Puig's walkoff homer with bat toss and slide at plate a little too much? (VIDEO)

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie phenom Yasiel Puig is in the headlines again, this time after a walkoff homer in the 11th inning to top the Reds Sunday — meaning the Dodgers have won nine of 10 and continue to surge ahead in the NL West.

The home run is getting extra attention due to Puig's cocky bat flip and then slide into home plate. Lately, there seems to be a burgeoning movement of Puig haters out there.

 Here's the video, you be the judge.

Puig shows love for Ryu with dance and a 'noogie' (VIDEO)

What better way to celebrate an five-run lead in the bottom of the tenth inning than doing a little boogie with a brotherly show of affection on your teammate —the infamous noogie.

That's exactly what Yasiel Puig did last night during the waning moments of the Dodgers game against the Blue Jays.

Puig did the dugout hip-shake then walks over to Hyun-Jin Ryu and gives the pitcher a noogie through his cap. The head-rub forces Ryu to spit out his sunflower seeds.

Funny stuff.

Puig robbed of unbelievable 280-foot throw to get Bryce Harper out at third

Yasiel Puig continues to be the victim of grand larceny in his first five weeks in the Major Leagues.  After being robbed of a spot on the All-Star Game earlier this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers sensation had an incredible throw and tag out of Bryce Harper taken away by the third base umpire's terrible call Friday night.

Replays show Puig's 280-foot throw before the tag caught the speedy Harper on the foot before he touched third base on Jason Werth's long fly ball to Puig in right field.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly came out to argue that the play was so good, it merited being an out.

Here's another angle:

Puig bounces off wall and still makes great catch

A lot of people thought Yasiel Puig was deserving of a spot on the All-Star roster after his phenomenal first five weeks in the majors. Now, in the Los Angeles Dodgers first game back after the Midsummer Classic, Puig continued to prove why he should have been there — this time from the field.

In the seventh, Puig makes a great running catch in foul territory before colliding with the wall in the right-field corner. A catch that  none of the players on the field — or the announcers —could tell if he made.

Better yet for the Dodgers, they beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 and moved one game above .500.  They were 12 games below the even mark on June 12.

Yasiel Puig shaken up during remarkable catch against the wall

It looks like the most exciting player in the major leagues can't leap buildings in a single bound after all— but won't avoid running through them.

Yasiel Puig — the Los Angeles Dodgers' phenom and superhero — went down on all fours after crashing into the Coors Field wall while chasing down a fly ball ball against the Colorado Rockies.

Puig made the amazing fifth-inning catch but crashed into the padded stanchion in-between the cushier chain-link fence before falling to the ground holding his left hip.

After trainers and teammates attended to Puig — grimacing in pain on the ground for a few tense minutes on the warning track — he got up, did a quick wind sprint and remained in the game.

The next inning, Puig drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before being taken out when the Dodgers made a double switch. Puig, who was just named the NL player of the month, finished 1-for-3 with a double.

Team officials said a precautionary X-ray was negative and he's listed as day-to-day.

Papelbon: Adding Yasiel Puig to All-Star Game would be an 'absolute joke'

The movement to have Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig named to the All-Star team next week has gained sizable momentum as Puig has continued to play at a record-breaking pace in his short time in the big leagues.

But still, Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon isn't enticed by the Puigmania to draft the Cuban sensation into the showcase game  — even if he is one of the most exciting players in the majors right now. And Papelbon said as much on MLB Network Radio Tuesday.

Via CBS Philly:

“To me, it's an absolute joke. It's really kind of stupid if you ask me,” Papelbon said on MLB Network Radio, as he had trouble even saying Puig's name correctly. “The guy's got a month, I don't even think he's got a month in the big leagues, and just comparing him to this and that, and saying he's going to make the All-Star team, that's a joke to me. It's just really what happens in baseball when … to me it really does an injustice to the veteran players that have been in the game for eight, nine, 10 plus years, and it kind of does them an injustice because they've worked so hard to stay there.”

Papelbon's reference to "comparing him to this and that," must be the astonishing fact that Puig collected 44 hits in his first month in the majors, second in baseball history to Joe DiMaggio's 48 in May of 1936. 

After going 3-for-5 with a home run and double Tuesday, Puig is now hitting .443/.473/.745 with eight homers, 17 RBI and 21 runs in 27 games. He has only 112 plate appearances on the season, but the Dodgers are 16-10 when he starts and 23-33 when he doesn't.

The All-Star teams will be named this coming Saturday.

Beanballs set off lengthy Dodgers-Diamondbacks brawl

As far as baseball brawls go Tuesday night's up-close-and-personal between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks was a pro-wrestling cage fight.

First,  Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig was plunked by a pitch in the face by Ian Kennedy then, after Zack Greinke plunked Miguel Montero, Kennedy plunked Greinke high on the shoulder with a 92 mph fastball setting off a seventh-inning melee that involved former major leaguers including Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, coach Mark McGwire, bench coach Alan Trammell as well as D'Backs manager Kirk Gibson.

Mattingly even wrestled Trammell to the ground.

Punches were thrown at that point as a heated brawl involving players and coaches ensued, resulting in six ejections before the Dodgers rallied to beat the Diamondbacks 5-3 at Dodger Stadium.  

Kennedy, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson and coach Turner Ward, along with Puig, reliever Ronald Belisario and Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire were ejected after the lengthy scuffle that nearly spilled into the stands.

Greinke hitting Montero was payback for Kennedy hitting Puig in bottom of the sixth - the ball deflected off Puig's shoulder and grazed his nose. It wasn't broken and he didn't sustain a concussion, the team said. Puig didn't appear at his locker after the game to talk with reporters.

"If you can't pitch inside without hitting someone in the head, you shouldn't pitch inside," Mattingly said.

Kennedy said he was just trying to pitch inside to Puig, who came into the game on a blistering hot streak while batting .500.

"I thought I got him on the shoulder, but by his reaction, I figure I got him somewhere in the face," he said. "I definitely did not want to hit a guy with two strikes and put somebody like him on base."

Kennedy then hit Greinke in the upper left shoulder - the ball deflected off his helmet - with one out in the seventh and the game tied 2-all. It was the 41st batter Kennedy has hit since the start of 2010.

"I honestly had no idea that it was that high until I saw the replay," Kennedy said.

Mattingly was outraged. "I thought it was B.S," he said.

After the game, Greinke said he didn't want to discuss the brawl either.

"That's when it kind of got out of hand," Tim Federowicz said about Greinke getting hit. "You can't do that."

Kennedy immediately was tossed and calmly walked toward the Diamondbacks dugout before players poured onto the field and relievers ran in from the bullpens.

"Everything happened so fast," Mattingly said. "It just gets a little crazy out there."

Former major league All-Stars rolling on the turf like kids. Crazy indeed.