Dodgers News: Yasiel Puig Reportedly Drawing Interest From Multiple MLB Teams

From 2013-14, Yasiel Puig’s future in Major League Baseball looked brighter than most players on the Los Angeles Dodgers — or most players on the planet.

Flash forward a decade. Puig hasn’t suited up for a major league game in more than four years. At 33, his days as a top-100 prospect are firmly in the past. Yet his final major league game might still be in the future.

According to reporter Francys Romero, multiple teams are interested in bringing the Wild Horse back to the show:

Puig’s last appearance in MLB came in September 2019 with the then-Cleveland Indians. Puig began that season in Cincinnati and was traded in July as part of a three-team, seven-player swap. His 49-game sample size with Cleveland looked good on paper: a .297/.377/.423 slash line — an .800 OPS and 109 OPS+. His arm strength from right field remained an asset until the very end.

Yet, Puig’s off-the-field issues in the years since — including his connection to an alleged sports gambling operation — have forced him to seek employment overseas.

In Nov. 2022, Puig reportedly agreed to plead guilty to one count of obstruction of justice in addition to an earlier charge of making false statements to federal officials. However, Puig withdrew his guilty plea soon after.

As of December, Puig remains the only athlete charged in connection with the operation led by Wayne Nix, a former minor league baseball player who has pled guilty to federal tax and gambling charges. Puig is reportedly scheduled to face trial later this month in Los Angeles in federal court.

Puig began his career with the Dodgers, spending six unforgettable seasons in Los Angeles. From 2013-18, Puig slashed .279/.353/.478 with an .831 OPS. An All-Star in 2015, Puig has 108 career home runs, 331 RBIs, 60 stolen bases, and a 127 OPS+ across seven seasons.

Puig spent the 2022 season with the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO, where he slashed .277/.368/.474 with 21 home runs and 73 RBIs in 126 games. He has split the current winter baseball season between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, hitting 11 home runs in 44 games to go with a .351 average.

While many fans might love to see Puig in Dodger Blue again, any opportunity to see him back in MLB would be a minor surprise at this stage in his career.

Photo Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

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