Report: Dodgers telling teams Puig is not available

Dave Roberts, the newly hired manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said last week that he wants Yasiel Puig, the polarizing 25-year-old outfielder, to "start fresh" in 2016. The club's revamped front office seems to feel the same way.

Though Puig's relationship with the Dodgers has been contentious at times since his 2013 debut, teams inquiring about the former All-Star are being told Puig is not available, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Puig's future in Los Angeles grew increasingly murky last year amid reports of his waning popularity in the clubhouse. In June, one Dodgers player told Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports that getting rid of Puig "would be addition by subtraction"; earlier this offseason, former big-leaguer Andy Van Slyke - whose son, Scott, is one of the Dodgers' outfielders - said that the club's highest-paid player told top executive Andrew Friedman to trade Puig.

Friedman, however, denied ever having such a conversation with Clayton Kershaw - the highest-paid player in Los Angeles - and the three-time Cy Young award winner also attempted to downplay the elder Van Slyke's comments Saturday at the team's annual FanFest.

Puig, who also attended the FanFest, said he and Kershaw cleared the air a bit on their recent goodwill trip to Cuba, and noted they'll keep chatting throughout spring training "to make sure all season the guys work together as a team."

With his clubhouse relationships possibly on the mend, and a new coaching staff in place, perhaps Puig can now rebound on the field as well, following a disappointing 2015 campaign. Puig, an All-Star in 2013, hit just .255/.322/.436 (109 OPS+) with 11 homers last season, missing 83 games with various injury problems before being mostly relegated to a pinch-hitting role in the National League Division Series. Still, despite Puig's poor showing, the Dodgers appear committed to keeping the dynamic Cuban, who will earn a total of just $24.6 million over the next three seasons.

If the Dodgers decide to move an outfielder, it will likely be either Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford, as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this winter that the reigning NL West champions are willing to eat some of the money remaining on their contracts in a potential deal.