Roberts believes upbeat Puig can help Dodgers

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Dodgers’ problems hitting left-handed pitching last season were well documented, as their collective slash line of .213/.290/.332 (.622 OPS) would indicate.

One of the keys to improving those numbers for next year could lie in the acquisition of a marquee right-handed bat such as Ryan Braun. In fact, it was rumored that the Dodgers and Brewers came close to consummating a deal in August that would have brought Braun to Los Angeles for a package that reportedly would have included outfielder Yasiel Puig, who had a stint in the Minors this year after hitting .260 with an OPS of .706 in his first 81 games of 2016.

With a trade of Puig still not completely ruled out this winter, the right-handed-hitting native of Cuba is working out in Miami and is on a new nutritional program to lose weight, according to manager Dave Roberts, who spoke at the Winter Meetings on Monday.

“He’s excited to come into Spring Training healthy; his weight’s going to be where he needs it to be and where the training staff feels it’s best …

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