by Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO–The Los Angeles Dodgers who have just completed a three game series at AT&T Park on Thursday left town but with them the Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas is tracking the movements of Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig. It was Los Zetas who helped traffic Puig in America after assisting Puig and his family to America from Cuba with the promise of 20 percent of what Puig’s earning would be the gang aims to collect according to ESPN magazine.

That would lead to a huge piece of the pie whereas Puig is earning $42 million on a nine year deal he signed with the Dodgers last season. Puig’s start is much different from last year where he broke in as a sensation and was selected to the All-Star game last season representing the Dodgers.

This year with all the possible violent repercussions of Los Zetas and their possibly tailing Puig, he has hit a lowly .250 with only one homer and five RBIs. Puig in Thursday’s game had only a hit in four at bats he might have had more on his mind than just swinging and trying to make contact with baseballs thrown to him.

The cartel is expecting Puig to pay up and the king pen of the operation is reportedly a Miami businessman who has hired the Los Zetas. It was reported that the cartel had actually either showed up in the cities where the Dodgers were on this last Dodgers road trip starting April 11th in Arizona and this week in San Francisco or they have been tracking his movements carefully.

They had made their presence known according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and it was reported that the Los Angeles Police and Major League Baseball security have been shadowing Puig everywhere he goes on the road and at home in L.A. for his protection.

There has never been so much security around a ball player since former Atlanta Braves and baseball home run king Hank Aaron who was chasing down Babe Ruth’s home record back in 1974. During the home run chase of 74 Aaron was incurring many racist death threats if he was to break Ruth’s record. Aaron was also shadowed by police and security everywhere he went.

ESPN reported that human traffickers have threatened Puig since assisting Puig from Cuba to America back in 2012. Puig 23, according to the L.A. Times and ESPN is an example of “the complexities of illegal human trafficking rings that continue to shuttle Major League prospects off the island.”

The human traffickers who smuggled Puig out held him captive in a hotel in Isla Mujeres which located off the coast of Cancun. At the time the human traffickers were shaking down the Miami businessman and another human trafficking group rescued Puig which was a rival trafficking gang that smuggled Puig to America and the Dodgers had signed Puig shortly thereafter.

Puig’s safety is constantly a concern and according to news reports the cartel wants it’s money and is turning the heat up on Puig. The Miami businessman who wants a cut of Puig’s money is Raul Pacheco who has a record for burglary and fake IDs according to ESPN magazine.

What makes this more frightening is the fact that Puig’s smuggler whose name is Leo was found dead shot 13 times. There also have been civil suits filed against Puig adding up to $12 million and another civil suit filed against Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman for $18 million in a Florida civil court.

Meanwhile it was reported that Dodgers fans are at low risk from any kind of violent threat at Dodger Stadium but Dodger security can not make any gaurantees, however L.A.Times writer Jessie Katz said “the idea that Dodger fans or Dodger teammates would be in any kind of imminent harm I find that as a little bit farfetched.” Dodger Stadium like other professional sports venues are now using metal detectors on all fans, media and front office people before they enter the venue.

Jerry Feitelberg is a talk show host on http://www.sportsradioservice.com