Report: McCarthy was involved in failed Puig-Braun trade

The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers came tantalizingly close to swapping Ryan Braun for Yasiel Puig last September, though it appears there were more moving parts in the deal than just the pair of outfielders.

Brewers general manager David Stearns won a waiver claim on Puig and began working on a deal that reportedly would have seen the Dodgers send oft-injured right-hander Brandon McCarthy and a couple of top prospects to Milwaukee, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The deal fell through prior to the deadline, however, and both clubs never revisited talks during the offseason despite the Dodgers being one of six teams that Braun can not block a trade too.

Los Angeles still spent the winter shopping McCarthy along with fellow veteran starter Scott Kazmir in order to clear room and some salary but were unsuccessful.

McCarthy still has two years and $23 million remaining on his four-year deal inked back in 2014. The 33-year-old has struggled on the mound and with injuries during his time in Los Angeles, going 5-3 with a 5.29 ERA over just 63 innings.