Yasiel Puig doesn’t think losing weight matters, is losing weight

(AP Photo/Danny Moloshok) Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is one of the players who can benefit most from a fresh start this year. The 25-year-old was limited to just 79 games last season due to hamstring issues. Puig’s normally strong numbers suffered as a result.

On top of that, the Dodgers brought in Dave Roberts to be the club’s new manager. Puig, who has been maligned over his young career for being a malcontent, really has an opportunity to make a good impression on his new skipper if he can turn in a strong offseason.

That appears to be the case. Many, including team general manager Andrew Friedman, have suggested Puig’s struggles last season were due to his weight. As a result, the outfielder has worked to slim down this offseason, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Aware of the ongoing discussions about his size, Puig joked he weighed 280 pounds — “I’m so fat,” he said — before designating himself around 240 pounds. He indicated he was taking Friedman’s advice, even if he declined to connect the dots between the scales and the plate.

Puig was listed at 255 pounds last season, so if he’s actually 240 right now, that would be a significant change.

Of course, this is Yasiel Puig we’re talking about, so it’s expected that some of his comments were met with some controversy.

“You’re right, he did suggest I lose a few pounds, for that exact reason,” Puig said through a team official, who acted as his translator. “For me, I don’t see the correlation between weight and how well one plays baseball, or how that affects one or the other. However, of course, I’m taking him up on that suggestion. Everyone else has encouraged me to do the same. But really, I don’t see much correlation.”

So, Puig is losing weight because everyone told him it’s a good idea, but he doesn’t think it will necessarily make him a better player.

In fairness, his line of thinking makes sense. Puig has always been a massive player. He’s essentially a linebacker trapped in an outfielder’s body. That’s a huge part of his appeal. Few players are able to provide the same power and speed at that size. Puig has always been big and it’s always worked for him.

Losing weight or at least being better conditioned will help, though. If anything, it should prevent the hamstring injuries that sidelined Puig last season. If that’s the case, the Dodgers will benefit greatly.

[Homer History: Revisiting Cal Ripken’s blast on Iron Man night]

While we don’t have a lengthy track record to go off, Puig has put up exceptional numbers when healthy over his career. His career .294/.371/.487 slash line is still excellent, even after last year’s struggles. Last season was a major setback, but there’s no reason to believe he won’t return to form as long as he can stay on the field in 2016.

It’s also worth noting that though he may not see the benefit in shedding pounds, Puig is doing everything he can to make a good impression on the organization. Everyone, from Friedman to Roberts, has suggested Puig would perform better at a lower weight, and he’s worked to put himself in that position.

Ultimately, none of Puig’s improvements will matter unless they translate to strong numbers on the field. For now, though, it seems as if Puig is motivated to put last season behind him. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that happens, even if he doesn’t fully buy in to all of it.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports: