5:35pm: Puig agreed to a one-year deal with Atlanta, per Charles Odum and Ben Walker of the Associated Press.
2:50pm: The Braves have agreed to a deal, pending a physical, with free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). The agreement brings to a close a lengthy free-agent saga for the mercurial Puig, who is a known commodity for Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos (formerly the Dodgers’ VP of baseball operations). Puig is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Puig, 29, was the most prominent name among unsigned free agents, having gone the entire offseason without agreeing to a deal and then enduring a league-wide transaction freeze during the pandemic that further slowed his path to a team. He reportedly received offers from the Marlins and Orioles along the way — as well as some interest from the Korea Baseball Organization — but Puig never found an offer to his liking it seems. It’s doubtful that he’ll command the sizable multi-year deal he sought over the winter in this new arrangement with Atlanta, but he’ll join a club with obvious postseason aspirations.
The Braves, of course, just lost one notable outfield option last week when veteran Nick Markakis announced that he will not play in 2020. Puig will give the Braves another accomplished bat who offered similar production to Markakis in 2019. While the Atlanta outfield was already largely set with Marcell Ozuna, Ender Inciarte and Ronald Acuna Jr., the addition of Puig will allow the Braves to rotate all their corner-outfield options (also including Adam Duvall) through left field, right field and DH while keeping everyone fresh. Acuna can also play center field in place of Inciarte, so we’ll surely see days where Ozuna, Acuna and Puig are lined up left-to-right in the outfield — perhaps with Duvall at designated hitter.
Puig split the 2019 season between Ohio’s two clubs, opening the year with the Reds before being moved to the Indians — while in the midst of an on-field brawl, no less — in the three-team blockbuster that sent Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati. While he was generally a solid bat, his offensive output didn’t quite mirror his past standards. Puig appeared in 149 games and, in 611 plate appearances, batted .267/.327/.458 with 24 long balls — albeit just two following his trade to Cleveland. In a season that saw enormous spikes in offensive output thanks to the altered composition of the ball, Puig’s line checked in right about at the league average (101 wRC+, 100 OPS+). That lines up quite similarly with Markakis (102 wRC+, 98 OPS+) but falls well shy of 2017-18, when Puig was roughly 20 percent better than a league-average hitter.
Given the difference in age, though, there’s more reason to expect a rebound out of Puig than there would’ve been from the 36-year-old Markakis. Adding Puig and Ozuna to an already strong core won’t make up for the loss of Josh Donaldson, but it’ll give the Braves an unquestionably deep reservoir of bats from which to draw as they look to nail down a third straight NL East division title.
From a defensive standpoint, Puig played an average right field last year according to each of Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average. His glovework in the past has ranged from passable to excellent in any given year, depending on one’s preferred metric. At the very least, though, it’s reasonable to expect Puig to be at least an average bat and an average corner defender, making him a nice pickup for Atlanta.
The Braves initially announced 56 players in their 60-man player pool for the 2020 season, although both Markakis and veteran right-hander Felix Hernandez can be subtracted from that number after opting out of the season. Atlanta has also had four players, including cornerstone Freddie Freeman, test positive for COVID-19. If any are placed on the IL as a result, they won’t count against the player pool. Even with no IL placements and after adding Bryce Ball to the player pool recently, the Braves will have space in their 60-man pool for Puig. The Braves also had a vacancy on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding move will need to be made to accommodate Puig’s presence on the roster.
a surprise but makes sense
Wow, the Braves just got better. This is a team that wants to win just like the Dodgers. Great move by them.
pache hurtself is why they signed him
ahh really?! you literally burst my bubble of excitement within the same breath….dang it! what happened to Pache?!
Thankfully that injury wasn’t as bad as originally thought just a jam. I am looking forward to seeing what pache can do out there.
Braves only had 7 outfielders before Kakes opted out. I imagine the pache injury and the desire to keep Ozuna at DH led to this.
hard slide into 2nd, hurt his ankle
I don’t think the plan involved Pache this year. His offensive profile is nowhere near Puig’s anyways. Not to mention Puig plays good defense and has a lazer arm. Definite upgrade. I envision a lot of Acuna, Ozuna, and Puig sharing the outfield.
Define “Good”?
Nowhere near…? That could be a good thing. Sure, Puig has a decent floor, but you’d know Pache would provide better than Puig’s average defense (not to mention his sometimes baffling lapses). I’d imagine Puig would also provide more power, but Pache’s power has been trending up (including a HR in the intrasquad game he tweaked his ankle in). I would be most concerned with Pache’s strikeouts, though Puig can have a lot. I’d see similar amount of SBs,, though that’s still a work in progress for Pache, as he has a lot of raw speed that needs work on the basepaths.
I dont think Pache would have gotten much time, but I think he would get some time out there.
Puig does have a cannon arm, but his defense hasnt been great in recent years. If we run Ozuna and Puig at the corners every night I will definitely be worried. I know Inciarte and Duvall are more than suitable defensive replacements, but I doubt they keep those two in that role full time. I think Ozuna at DH more often improves the lineup and defense. But, how everything is managed will definitely be interesting because of Riley and Camargo being in the mix for at bats.
Of course the most major league caliber hitters will only be a positive this year with covid cases likely causing lineup disruptions.
I’m not sure Pache’s injury had that large of an impact. Pache has a great glove. It’s Big League ready yesterday. There’s no guarantee on the bat, though. I can’t imagine AA was counting on him this season when what they need is to replace lost offense.
Pache has a chance to be great, but he had a career year with the batlast year and only hit .277/.340/.462 with 11 homers. 8 steals with 11 CS. Not a great offensive profile. Looks like a guy we have already in Ender. Puig is way better right now.
People tend to hyperbolize prospects all the time and Pache’s claim to fame is his glove. Multiple reports have said he’s got the best glove in the entire organization right now. I’m hoping that’s true.
I don’t envision Ozuna playing in the field more than once a week. He is terrible defensively.
Inciarte, Acuna and Puig/Duvall will man the field. Interestingly enough, Puig actually has reverse splits and is much better against righties. That means he will be perfect for a semi-platoon with Duvall.
They are about where they would have been if Markakis didnt opt out.
Couldn’t agree more, AA doing great job
I’d much rather have Markakis. Hopefully 60 days isn’t enough for him to ruin Camargo/Acuña/Albies…..
like those who ruin his image by making bogus “bad influence” claims?
How do you know it’s “bogus”? I’m not saying that I know either way, but unless you’ve been on a team with him I don’t think you can fairly make that statement
Yay! Finally!
Woah
I SO CALLED THIS!
You must be nostradaumus. I am impressed.
https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/braves-cristian-pache-scratched-from-lineup/
Pache is day to day. He’s fine. That’s not why the Braves picked up Puig.
THANK GOD, I wanted him no where NEAR the giants
Heliot Ramos will be better anyway
If he starts actually hitting baseballs
He could be a distraction but with a short season maybe not as bad as the longer season. Hopefully his attitude is better now that he’s been humbled on a long time coming for someone to sign him.
Yep. Honestly it’s the equivalent of a deadline acquisition in terms of games.
Short season will help. He won’t have the opportunity to alienate his team.
If Markakis doesn’t opt out this doesn’t happen
If the sun doesn’t come up it will be dark.
lol
Hahahahah, good one.
Totally agree. Should be interesting to see a lineup that includes Puig and Ozuna.
Combine that with Ronald and I only wish ATL would meet ARZ and see MadBum’s head explode trying to enforce unwritten rules.
Could be a good move, yes. Depends on 2 things –
1 – the contract
2 – his reputation of being a poor clubhouse guy/clubhouse cancer
Time will tell…..
I haven’t anything from players or writers concerning him being a clubhouse cancer. The only time it comes is with posters.
Plenty of players, writers, coaches have complained about his attitude. Fans are not just making this up. That being said, those complaints were some time ago, he’s probably matured.
Alex, there have been a ton of reports about altercations with teammates. Where have you been!?
One of the most famous incidents was Greinke throwing his bags off the bus. Kershaw and Turner were a couple of others known to have had trouble with Puig.
He is a team cancer. Good luck!
You know he’s a cancer how? Media tell you that? Boy that sounds familiar. Media talks and people absorb it all as truth.
If you haven’t heard about his antics then you haven’t been watching baseball
Players themselves have discussed it with the media, dude.
I’ll trust professional sources–players, journalists, or otherwise–over a random commenter every time.
Name one of those people that said that.
Yoenis Cespedes said he’d rather never play with Puig. Why are you questioning this? Players and coaches have complained of his attitude in the past. It’s not some conspiracy.
For sure. The East continues to get stronger
I know I’m a jerk.
Thanks for the expert analysis.
I’m so sorry.
If you aren’t born then you won’t die.
I’ve been beating the drum that the Braves NEEDED a reliable 1-5 if they wanted to contend. Ideally, I would’ve like to see Donaldson and Ozuna in those 4-5 spots but Ozuna and Puig is good enough. The Braves were at their best last year that month Riley scorched the earth and briefly when Duvall raked in late July/early August. … Takes all the pressure off guys like Riley, Inciarte, Swanson, or Camargo to be key cogs.
Probably similar to the Keuchel signing last season where AA didn’t love him, but he was out there and the price was right so he went for it. Great move to solidify the offense.
This is funny. Puig has been sitting around waiting for a phone call. Any team who decided to pony up his asking price could have had him. In the real world that means he is not a difference maker. There is a reason, several actually, why he could not get a contract. I wouldn’t pin my hopes on him having much of an impact.
No one is etching his name in the WS trophy, but if he’s an upgrade over Kakes, while allowing Duvall to be freed up to possibly platoon with Riley at 1B, if Freeman misses any time, then it’s worth it. Don’t want to depend too much on Freeman, allowing him to ease back into things, which shouldn’t take much, if healthy.
You’re comment sounds as if I or anyone is expecting Puig to come in and be an elite hitter. That’s not who is anymore, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have an impact.
Obviously, no team thought whatever his initial asking price was worth it. But the Braves added a good hitter with some pop. He doesn’t need to be an All-Star to be successful.
I was speaking more to Francy and Tbone.
Puig doesn’t instantly make them WS favorites, I’ll grant you, Javia. He probably doesn’t really move the needle a ton. He’s a league average ball player.
He IS an upgrade over Markakis, though. So from that point of view, he moves the needle some. So by definition, he is a difference maker- even if the difference may be small. He’s at least capable of hitting the ball out of the yard, which is needed.
There’s no Donaldson this year, and no Freeman for awhile. Ozuna makes up some of that, but not nearly as much as needed. Puig will help, even if I’m not his biggest fan.
Outlaw, that’s a very reasonable take. I think too many here think he’s a borderline all-star but he’s just a league average player. There’s a reason he’s gone unsigned so long and that reason ain’t his personality. Decent pick up for the Braves but he won’t move the needle any more than any other last minute scrap heap signing.
LOL! There are far to many reasonable Braves fans on this article. I was going to respond to Jav as well with more reasonable expectations like Sans and Outlaw but I see I am not needed here. =D
I agree with you Outlaw, Cosmodeus and SalaryCapMyth. He may be better than Markakis and yes he will likely be an improvement for the Braves. It just seemed like fans were going crazy when this thread first opened.
Puig and Reliable don’t exactly go together.
Things I believe we can rely on Puig: Average hitter, good pop, good base running, great arm, decent fielder, can get on teammates nerves
I like Puig but dont count on the good base running
Fun for the fans, but he probably cost you more outs on the paths than any runner in the league
That freakin arm though, Insane-
Mets fans aren’t worried at all
Mets fan here. I’m more afraid of Markakis, a Met killer. So as far as I’m concerned, the Braves did NOT just get better.
I agree. That’s why I said it. Markakis was a avg hitter at best and he killed us for some reason
I imagine Mets fans aren’t worried about Puig at all. At this point, Mets fans should should be more concerned with Mets players stumbling over their own feet and Metsing everything up before they even need to concern themselves with the beating they’re going to take from OTHER teams players.
I’m not worried at all… bunch of good players on our team… why would they mess up? Are you just following a false narrative. Anyways when Cohen buys us we will start to spend like the dodgers and yanks and perform like them
Keep the faith brother. The Mets manage to not make the playoffs year after year..but THIS year…
This about the narrative the you follow that doesn’t exist. When the Mets make the playoffs this year.. they would have made it 3 out of 6 years. And in 19 they they won 86 in the hardest division in baseball with a young club.
Huh..I wonder who won that division..you know, the hardest one..in 2019?
So..you don’t get to accuse me of buying into false neratives when you try to disprove it by exaggerating. The Mets won a division in 2015 and the division in 16. That’s 2/6 if we do the math your way. Or you could say it was twice in the last 13 seasons and that would also be correct.
But hey, as long as you can exaggerate your claims, you can defeat the false naratives. But before you go proving false naratives wrong, you might want to consider that all this information is readily available. For example, you want to see how often the Mets have made the playoffs;
http://www.espn.com/mlb/history/teams/_/team/NYM
Is one place you can look.
Bro I said when they make it this year….. do you need reading lessons?? 15,16,20 is 3 years….
And I said I’m not scare do puig….. not the Braves. The Braves are a good team… but any Braves fan that is assuming they’ll win the division is dumb…. anyone could win the division this year but the marlins… the Braves could finish 4th this year… if it happens I’ll laugh at all the cocky Braves fans I see here.
Due to the short season, the division really is a toss up.
Why would the Mets be worried? This shouldn’t really affect their quest to hold on to 3rd in the East.
Braves a true WS Contender!!
I think they already were before this. That rotation could be the best outside of Washington if they continue to improve and they have lots of talent already on the field. Acuna could be one of the 5 best players in baseball this year. Puig helps, sure, but I believe they were already playoff-bound and well-enough equipped to take on just about anyone.
This will be a huge difference I can already see him helping them down the stretch
True to form, the local Pittsburgh sports talk guys are already crying that they should have signed Puig so that they could trade him after a few weeks. These fools forget that a player has to agree to sign a contract with any team and no team can just go sign any free agent any time they choose to. smh.
***That the Pirates should have signed Puig^^^^^^^^
“Siri, what is the clubhouse opposite of Nick Markakis?”
Comment of the day
Man. Good job. I’m not being sarcastic. Your statement captures what should be our biggest concern. The Braves Clubhouse culture is going to get challenged.
But something that is encouraging is, Puig can’t possibly miss the reason why his market has been so dry. He has to want this deal to work out because the only teams interested in him were the Marlins and Orioles; two last place teams who would use him to kill time and take up space until their rebuild displaces him. Only after the Braves took several key losses did they look at Puig. That’s a loud message. Puig has to want this contract work out.
Whether the concerns about Puig’s attitude are overblown or not…there’s not going to be much of a clubhouse this year.
Myth – I believe if it were anyone else, they would have been humbled. I think Puig’s “self-reflect” button has been broken for many years. I hope I’m wrong. I’m glad it’s a one year deal so the Braves can move on if Puig is Puig.
it’s a well known fact that Puig behaves perfectly the first 60 games of each season….games 61 and beyond? ehh maybe or maybe not??
One of Joe Simpson’s “favorite” players. It will be fun to hear Joe twist himself into a pretzel praising a guy he’s bagged on for so long now that Puig wears the right laundry.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeeeeeessssss!!!!!!!
sadly not going to face MadBum this year.
Really interesting outfield/DH mix.
Acuna, Duvall, Puig, Ozuna, Inciarte and then throw in the mix of Camargo/Culberson for some at bats.
Curious to see if they use Inciarte and Duvall as defensive replacements and/or try and split innings and at bats.
Just need Freeman and Hamels to come back healthy and ready to go.
60 game sprint.
This should be interesting.
Let that cancer eat them up from the inside.
I know you are anything but a Braves fan but that’s my biggest concern.
Hopefully Acuna doesn’t pick up any bad habits from him.
Hopefully Puig doesn’t up any of Acuna’s had habbits
Hopefully Acuna doesn’t pick up any bad hobbits.
Define “bad” 🙂
Define “hobbit”
The wife of Kanye West?
Yeah, he needs to stick with the good ones, like Sam and Frodo.
There should be an expansion team called the Hobbits.
Shirely you jest!?
Don’t call me Shirley! Laverne okay
We got better on the field but got worse in the dugout!!!!
Fortunately for you, games are not played in the dugout
Hopefully Puig doesn’t up any of Acuna’s had habbits
This isn’t going to end well.
Wasn’t really expecting this but it makes way more sense than the rumor from this weekend of him signing with Baltimore. Seems like a year where depth is going to be important
It’s a good deal for both. Puig gets another chance to prove he can be a team player, and the Braves get a nice depth piece who won’t block their talented OF talent in later years. I like this move for Atlanta.
I wonder if Braves marketing will have The Bat-Licker front and center, like they did with The Bringer-of-Rain last year?
ROFL! Bat licker front and center.
After watching my cat during the intra squad game on youtube bat licking doesnt seem so bad.
I may have to listen to games on the radio.
Very nice for atl, they will sell their soul for a top tier sp at the deadline and will play the Yankees in the 2020 world series
You do not know the Braves at all! What was the last major trade the Braves were involved in, Miller for Season/Inciarte? Anthopoulos, good or bad, is not trading a significant package of prospects for anyone.
Blasted auto-correct. Season/Inciarte should be Swanson/Inciarte.
Subtraction by addition!
I love Puig, really happy for him! And even more happy it’s not with the Giants lol
CF) Acuna
2B) Albies
1B) Freeman
LF) Ozuna
RF) Puig
DH) Riley
C) d’Arnaud
3B) Camargo
SS) Swanson
That’s a pretty good lineup and we can always rotate in DuVall, Inciarte, etc…
That is one heck of a lineup.
2nd best lineup in the NL east
The fact that I don’t know which lineup you things is better is probably not a good sign for you lol.
I was gonna say the same…is it Philly? It’s not NY or WAS….
Mets is definitely better….
Offense only
Acuna> conforto RF
Nimmo> Inciarte CF
Davis>Ozuna LF
Ces>Riley DH
McNeil> carmago 3B
Rosario> Swanson SS
Albies> cano
Freeman> Alonso
Ramos> tda
That’s 6-3 Mets…..
Freeman was even less productive than Alonso last year too. I think freeman is a better hitter but that’s just something I wanted to point out. That’s freeman is in his prime and Alonso had a more productive year his rookie season…
When was the last time Cespedes was healthy? Also, Rosario, Ramos and Davis aren’t exactly light-years ahead of those guys. It’s a lot more even than you’re making it out to be.
As a Mets fan myself, I predict TdA will be better than Ramos
I feel it’s closer to even than you have it. Like Cosmodeus, I think TDA outperforms Ramos at the dish, making it 5-4. I’m also not so sure that Rosario is that superior to Swanson with the bat. That could go either way, so I’d call it a push.
I do think the gap is probably closer than some of my fellow Atlanta fans would care to admit. It’ll be a four team race, with the only club I’d throw out as having no shot being Miami. In a short season, who knows what will happen. This is unchartered water. If one or two guys go on an absolute tear, it’d be very easy to swing the division.
I could agree with you on that. Braves and Mets definitely have the two best lineup tho
Your right about Davis and Ramos. But I honestly think Rosario separates himself from Swanson offensively. Swanson is a way better fielder tho.
Who wants to make bets when will Puig get suspended for violating the safety protocal?
Legitimate concern, but Puig’s discipline issues are well known so I imagine the Braves at least addressed the issue. I know that’s not anything like a guarantee he won’t mess everything up but I also figured he wants the deal to work out also.
Pache and Puig both bat righthanded, Puig is really good against righthanded pitchers. He just became our best hitter against them. That’s why he was picked up by the Braves. This move came from Freeman and Markakis being out, more than Pache not being ready.
Savvy addition by the Braves. Puig knows very well that this year is extremely important for his future. His agent drilled this into his head in the offseason after the lack of interest in him. He should be laser focused and shouldn’t cause too much disruption in a 60 game, 2.5 month season. He’ll be on his best behavior and give every at bat his full attention with his eyes on a multi-year deal for 2021. He knows this could be his last chance to prove he’s worth a multi-year contract, so Atlanta should be getting the very best Puig has to offer. Very little down side to this deal at all.
Your hoping he’ll be on his best, but then there’s Puig, if you put tar on his bat he may stop licking it like an ice cream cone
Really kind of a shame it took him this long to find a team. Just goes to show how big an issue his personality seems to be for teams. Plus defense, solid hitter, still young – all his problems are between his ears.
He’s really not that solid of a hitter anymore if you look beyond traditional stats… scrap heap signing with slight potential to surprise. It’s not his reputation as a bad egg; it’s his reputation as an all star amongst fans. He hasn’t been that player in a long, long time.
OPS+ of 119 in 2017, 120 in 2018, and 100 in a down year of 2019. It hasn’t been that long since he was 20% better than average at the plate. It has been a while since he was a budding superstar. and I doubt he’ll ever be the player he could have been, but he can still be above average.
One thing I do have to note is that I looked up his stats and his defense is right around average for his career. So passable, but I guess I shouldn’t have said plus.
Yea, you are correct, he has potential to be better than average with the bat. His D is not great but if runners are dumb enough to challenge his arm he could gun a few down. I think we agree on his value.
Maybe he’ll find the word humble in the dictionary could well be his last yr in baseball
Hey the free agent contest is now officially over
LOL! Someone cut this man’s pay to pro-rated for the season. That’ll teach him. =D
What I love about this. The Braves are at least trying. There weren’t great options left so they went and picked up the best of what was left.
What I hate. Puig is a complete mystery box with the bat. Who knows what he is going to do. Then there is his impact on the clubhouse. The Braves clubhouse culture is going to get really challenged.
The Braves were in a tough spot. They’ve lost their Captain and their depth has taken a beating as well so I obviously support the acquisition. In a normal world, this move doesn’t happen.
Wise move by Puig to turn down the Orioles. What a cess pool of an organization that is.
I think Duvall could be a strong candidate to have a “breakout” season (if you can call it that, given that he has already had 2 seasons with 30+ HRs) but what I mean is… with the ability to stay fresh and rotate through DH, given how well he hit at AAA and then 10 HRs in 120 or so ML ABs last year — it could finally be the right circumstances for him to really take his game to the next level. He obviously has tremendous power and if he could just raise his BA/OBP a little bit, he could wind up being a really solid player for the Braves this year, and then going forward.
Found a report saying it’s just one year.
https://wdef.com/2020/07/14/braves-reportedly-reach-one-year-contract-yasiel-puig/#:~:text=ATLANTA%20(AP)%20%E2%80%93%20A%20person,until%20Puig%20passes%20a%20physical.
I’ll save the reader the suspense. It’s only an under the table report but it shouldn’t be unexpected. I am really curious about the contract details. Puig may have left greater money on the table to play with a contender. We’ll see.
I hear $2.5M for the short season that’s about right for this guy
Somebody’s doing a favor for somebody, and neither is Puig.
Gonna be interesting to see how much the deal is for…
$2.5M
Good signing, Braves. As long as one of the veterans puts him in place every now and then, he’ll be fine. He’s gonna display some stupid shenanigans but that veteran, or two, can end it quickly.
N000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Best case is that he’s the fifth OF and never gets into a game.
In the scenario where you said ozuna, Acuña, Puig with Duvall at DH, wouldn’t it make more sense to have Duvall in the field in that scenario? Puig averages 0.0 dWAR a year
Puig or Osuna DHs and Inciarte is in center
Of the list of teams that might have signed this guy, I would have put Atlanta near or at the very bottom. They have always been averse to dynamite in the dugout. This guy is nothing but trouble. But fun to watch! Like a train wreck! So who knows? Everybody likes a good train wreck every now and then!
Then why were guys like Charlie Culberson trying to recruit him?
I like Charlie as good as the next guy. He has a heart of gold and absolutely nobody tries harder but he is also not exactly an essential cog in this machine. I want to hear Freeman’s response to this. That will tell the tale
I would pay good money to hear a conversation between Puig and Nick Markakis. Can you imagine? That would get real really quickly.
Rats, my least favorite baseball player playing for my Braves. Perhaps they brought him in so the Atlanta pitchers could work on brush back and beaning offerings with Puig’s melon as target.
Guess I will hold my nose and hope he does not destroy Acuna and Albies with his cancer. Perhaps he will finally grow up and play like a winner for 60 games and playoffs or perhaps the Braves waive him before the playoffs if he does not perform or acts up.
He’s got so much talent and strength. It’s a shame he went from being on the cover of MLB The Show to lurking for a one year deal. When he burst into the scene so many years ago, I never would have guessed Puig would be in this position as a free agent.
The report was that he tried to get by on talent and didn’t work. That might be why he plateaued.
I want to see the $ associated with this deal….
$6,750,000 prorated for 60/162 games will boil down to $2.5 million for one year with Braves holding an option for $8mil.
What’s ur thoughts on that? 2.5 seems fine but then again… if I saw almost 7 mil for an entire season, I think I would have been a little upset. Unless he was expected to plat every day
Is bat-licking prohibited this season?
Depends on the bat.
Yea, puig has started a new form of the #metoo movement… #batstoo
Continuously violating the bats without consent is not ok…
Jose Constanza bro. The original bat licker in Atlanta.
Great addition
Freak>>>>Greek
Pache was never breaking camp, as fans you shouldn’t even want him too for service time let alone he’s nowhere near ready- Gaining 9-12 lbs couldn’t him hurt either.
Hope he recovers quickly though
At this point I’m a little worried that he may have gained too much. He was looking a little thick last year.
Racist.
I think most of can see the signing Puig doesn’t mean we’re immediately WS favorites. However a little quick compare does show that he makes us a little better. Markakis vs. Puig
avg/obp- Nick
ops+-Puig
speed-Puig
power-Puig
arm strength-Puig, not even close
ability to slow down runners going to 2nd or 3b-Puig
BB- Nick
SO-Nick
SB-Puig
Age-Puig
Yes I did cherry pick a few data pieces, but my point is there is enough of an advantage by putting Puig in RF this season over Nick, that he should be able to help. I’m also aware when he was younger he had some issues that rubbed people the wrong way, I’m hopeful he’s figured a few things out as he’s gotten a little older. Overall I’m most excited to see him throw people out, because of his arm. To limit more base runners from taking the extra base. Things that for the last few years that no team was afraid to do with Nick out there.
Hey Puig you said you were coming for us
After his initial disappointing playoff plate appearances, Puig has become a proven playoff hitter, unlike Mookie Betts and A.J. Pollock.
Now that Puig is signed, when will the Free Agent Contest be officially updated?