Outfielder Yasiel Puig will not be signing with the Braves after all, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Puig reportedly agreed to a contract with the Braves earlier this week, but he announced Friday on Twitter that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. That was enough to scuttle the deal for Atlanta, which Rosenthal writes never actually reached an agreement with Puig.
Of course, this is a stunning turn of events for the Braves and Puig. First and foremost, though, is the 29-year-old’s health. Fortunately, he tweeted that he’s asymptomatic and feeling fine. Puig will need two negative tests before he’s eligible to return to action, which suddenly looks in jeopardy of happening at all in 2020 now that his pact with the Braves won’t go through. It’s unclear whether the Braves will circle back to the righty-swinging Puig in the near future. For now, they’re looking for a left-handed-hitting bench option to supplement their offense, according to Rosenthal.
Even before this development, Puig went through a surprisingly difficult few months. While he has been a solid contributor for most of his career, which began with the Dodgers in 2013, a down 2019 between Cincinnati and Cleveland led to a tepid market in free agency. The months-long COVID-19 shutdown that prevented teams from making transactions also didn’t help Puig’s cause. Once he regains his health, he’ll surely try yet again to land a contract with a major league team. Even if he does, he probably won’t be able to debut this season until at least sometime in August.
The Braves received great news Friday when first baseman and lineup linchpin Freddie Freeman was cleared to return to action, but their outfield depth has taken multiple hits of late. Before the failed Puig deal, veteran Nick Markakis opted out of the season over health concerns. They do currently have Ronald Acuna Jr., Marcell Ozuna and Ender Inciarte as starters in the grass, though, and their track records indicate they should make for a quality trio. Prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters may not be far off, but Pache is dealing with an ankle injury at the moment. Otherwise, Austin Riley, Adam Duvall and Charlie Culberson could be the team’s top reserves in the outfield.
Wow.
Braves should have tested him before signing him!
They did. That’s why we know about it.
It’s pending physical. So they are not going to all sign him or will pay less for him
YES!!!
@Manfredisajoke: I’m sure you didn’t mean that “YES!!!” about Puig testing positive, just that he’s not a Brave, right? I’m glad he’s not too, but I hope he doesn’t suffer any ill effects from the virus.
“That was enough to scuttle the deal for Atlanta, which Rosenthal writes never actually reached an agreement with Puig.”
It doesn’t look like there was an official deal in place anyway. I think it’s best for the Braves considering how problematic Puig is.
Article says Puig wasn’t yet signed.
Bowman says “Puig will not be joining the Braves. He revealed he tested positive for COVID-19 on Instagram.”
So does this mean the deal wasn’t finalized because it was pending a COVID test, or that he is in fact a Brave and his debut will be delayed until he tests negative twice?
My hope is his contract is null until he test negative. Sounds harsh but that’s me hoping he returns healthy and the Braves still paying him
All FA signings come with a “pending physical” caveat. Puig failed the physical. The Braves have chosen to move on. Puig is not a Brave. Nothing was inked. Puig is still a free agent, available to anyone.
looked up comedic irony in the dictionary…believe this is what i said
*it
The Pirates caused it! …Cause they pitched up and in one too many times. …Those mean Pirate pitchers.
It amazes me how you somehow always manage to be unfunny on every post.
Well, 1600, if I was looking to be a comedian, Ill certainly give you a ring for some coaching up….
I’m not one to usually jump on a bandwagon of trolling… But in this case — getting that coaching might be warranted…
Ditto.
you make no sense
That’s what she said
The only thing dumber than cleptos comment was that two people ‘liked’ it
Omg
What a joke… should have made his contract contingent on a negative first test.
I think it is. He’s a FA now, per Twitter.
It was. It was contingent on passing a physical, like most (all?) contracts. Part of the physical was a Covid test. He failed, so the contract is off
well I knew it came from bats, but not that kind
Lol
So he’s not a Brave then?
Yes
No. He didn’t actually sign. Just like when a player fails a physical.
Confirmed, Puig is a free agent now.
I heard Puig got Covid-19 from licking his bat?
There might be a little confusion reflected in the initial comments here, because it was first announced that Puig tested positive, then very soon after that the near-agreement with the Braves was off. So we updated to reflect the newest info.
That explains all the confusion from all the different posts saying contradictory statements. >=\
I clicked on the article because I wanted to read about the Braves situation (being a Mets fan), this is a pleasant surprise. Thanks!
Rangers29, I have gotten the impression from your posts that you are a nice guy. So I don’t think you meant to be callous or cruel in any way…but you might want to rethink your wording here. That is to say, I think “pleasant surprise” is probably not the right phrase for news that someone has contracted a virus that can lead to severe health complications down the road, even for someone like Puig who presumably was previously in robust health.
Again, I don’t think you meant it that way, but it came across with…an unfortunate effect.
He “AS A METS FAN” is a pleasant surprise which any real sports team fan knows means he is happy his team has to face a potential lesser team hoping for a better chance for his team in the playoffs.
if he did not add that “as a mets fan” then it would be questionable.
I think he more meant that he was ‘pleasantly surprised’ that the Braves aren’t signing Puig — not that he was pleasantly surprised Puig was sick! Haha At least that’s what I got from it, and hope. Either way I really don’t think he meant any harm by the comment.
I didn’t mean harm by it. I hate some players, but it is because of the way they play, not the way they live their lives, or their views or whatnot. Because all in all baseball is just a game. That being said, I think it would be petty to be happy for ANY player catching a virus (no matter how deadly). My comment was based on the fact that the Braves now don’t have a bat that could’ve helped them this season, (hence helping the Mets).
Re-reading that comment, it was definatley worded wrong. When I type out my comments, I normally use parentheses to show distinction between my words, and that’s what I should’ve used there.
Thanks for pointing it out, and being civil though. More people should do that.
Oh my lord MWeller77, can you stop trying to be offended with every word people type??
Wtf. The braves need a solid 5th hitter
I believe they’re limiting their search to guys who can actually take the field and play.
@Salary You do realize the story gets revised, right? It was like 2 sentences when it first got posted, and did not say that. Use some common sense.
It was a paragraph and it still had the same first sentence but I may owe some apologies because after reading Tim’s statements, I am not sure what was revised and what wasn’t.
Acknowledges revisions, yet says “It was a paragraph and it still had the same first sentence.”
Holy crap! I did not see this coming!
Let’s see, if I was creating a team of players that were in a transaction this off-season that fell through, that team would consist of:
Puig
Pederson
Strippling
Rengifo
Those four could all-together beat the entire orioles team today. And I even feel like I am forgetting some…
Relax Brave fans! Braves are going to win the division or get a wild card anyway. So the bat licker isn’t needed. Be more concerned about losing the Tomahawk chop or having to change your name more then anything…
The chop is probably gone but the name will stay the same after the Braves had meetings with representatives of the Cherokee and Creek tribes.
If you want to read about it:
bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2020/07/17/braves-atl…
The Braves lineup is very bad after the top 3. They aren’t a guarntee for anything.
confident…
Joc Pederson would be a great option. Although I know that won’t happen.
What the frick?!
Braves dodged a bullet here.
pUiG yOuR fRiEnD
Cue the music — youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE
Should’ve signed in December/January.
Man. Some of it is his own doing, obviously, and some of it is just plain bum luck, but it sure seems like fate has dictated that Puig never did or ever will live up to his potential.
He did live up to his potential. He just peaked as a rookie then went into immediate decline. I get there were huge expectations after year one but some guys just have an early, short peak for whatever reason.
he is not the Andris Biedrins of baseball yet..
shucks what nice guy he is too, to be dissed like that!! /sarcasm
You’re all idiots, living in the basement with your momma.
ooooh. got eem.
Oh good! Now they can trade for Chris Davis.
So …you’re NOT a Braves’ fan?
its a real shame this guy gets a bad rap for very little reason. i really hope that hasn’t impacted his market.
I agree… as far as ‘bad guys’ in sports go… Puig isn’t really one of them. He seems to be lumped in with some of the worst of the worst in terms of bad teammates/actors — but other than being a little overly flamboyant on the field (and occasionally not hustling enough) he really hasn’t done anything all that bad to deserve being ‘blackballed’ to the extent he seems to be. I hope he winds up signing either with the Braves once he tests negative for the virus or elsewhere. I do think it’s a little strange that the positive covid test was enough to scuttle the deal… you’d think they’d sign him anyway and just wait the week or so until he’s cleared to play — it’s not like he has some wild injury that’s going to require surgery… it’s just a virus that will pass
The dude is just eccentric. Manny Ramirez was probably one of the most out-of-leftfield (pun intended) guys around. He received a pass from the media due to his godly talents and being on winning ballclubs so it became “just Manny being Manny” and teammates tolerated it.
Low – He’s not just eccentric. He’s earned his reputation as a non-team player.
latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-padres-20…
Dark – It’s more than just a bad rap. He’s earned the reputation if you remember his Dodgers days:
latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-padres-20…
Why would him having Covid be enough to cause the Braves to back out of the deal? Seems like maybe there was something else in the physical they were worried about? idk I guess just that he wouldn’t be able to participate/get up to speed in time for the season may have been enough. But it just seems kind of strange to abandon ship on a guy just because of covid — unless something weird were to happen and he got incredibly sick… he should be back up to speed in a week or so…
Do you know when he first contracted the virus. Do you know when it’s going to be out of his system?
No one does. When he comes back with clean results, someone can add him.
Well to some extent… yes. All reports and indications are that the virus lasts a maximum of 14 days in a person’s system. So literally worst case scenario (given that he’s asymptomatic – so not going into scenarios in which he gets severely ill) he’d be able to join the team in 2 weeks. If it were say a sprained ankle or something that would be healed in 2 weeks – one would think that wouldn’t be enough to cause a team to back out of a FA deal if they really wanted the player. So my point is… that if the Braves wanted Puig in their lineup… waiting an extra week or at the most 2… seems like a weird reason to just void the signing. It’s well within their rights and who knows maybe they will sign him once he tests negative. My only point was just that a week or two absence just doesn’t seem like a really big issue that would cause a team to no longer want a player (in normal conditions anyway) — though I get that with the season only being 60 games now… 2 weeks does mean something different than it would for a 162 game season that’s for sure.
Freeman getting healthy quicker than expected probably played a big role in their decision to walk away.
I think this is yet another case of fans overblowing a scrap heap signing. A free agent you have high expectations from maybe doesn’t simply get cut but Puig is a scrap heap guy no one else wanted (contrary to how much fans overrate him) and so just let him go and pick him (or someone else) up as needed later.
Why would the Braves sign him when he could potentially miss up to a month, almost half the season? If they want him that bad and he wants to play in Atlanta they can work out another deal.
They wouldn’t, which is kind of my point. I’m just saying the option would still exist so therefore no point at all in retaining him while he can’t play.
Sorry, my comment was to the original poster.
My bad.
I thought Puig would have been a good pickup. He hits RH pitchers well, so he could be used in a platoon with Duvall.
Braves still have several LF options (Duvall full time, Riley, Ozuna), but 1 of those will likely be the DH.
Two quick comments.
1) I hope he is fine.
2) I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Joe Simpson hardest hit.
Hopefully he gets cleared soon and latches on with another team. When he signed with Atlanta, they were still unsure how long Freddie would be out for, so I’m guessing that played a large part in taking a chance on Puig. Now that Freddie is back and healthy, the need for Puig’s bat is diminished so the Braves saw an opportunity to rescind their offer and took it. If Alvarez can’t make it back to Houston, they could pivot to Puig as a DH, 4th OF to fill in for his bat. He just needs to get healthy quick in order to get a decent contract offer. There’s always Baltimore, Yasiel!
We don’t want him in Baltimore. Even I don’t want him in Baltimore, and this would be the perfect season for my O’s to grab him. Only 2 months of him in my clubhouse, and no real youngsters on the team to influence negatively. He could be amazing in August and we could trade him for something. But it’s just not worth it. Even though it’s only 2 months and the O’s prospects are in the minors, we’ve still got John Means and Austin Hayes in Baltimore. In this situation, simply put, the bad outweighs the good.
Actually, he’s untradeable, even if he’s amazing in August. Trading a prospect for someone you could have just signed this past offseason.
Need to sign him for $4.05 (1.5 pro-rated) save a million and continuous on. Keep looking for the left handed hitter. Matt Joyce at Miami is surely available, Matt Adams at NY may be as well since they have the P-Bear. Ben Zobrist is still a FA and a switch hitter if we can play a 40 Year old guy.
Joyce was just out in the IL
If they are just looking for a bat I think they could get CJ Cron or possibly shin soo choo
Drew Waters is the Braves best current option. Should also add Rafael Ortega to the 60-man squad.
The Braves caught a break on this one
100%
Maybe he spent months indoors and that destroyed his immune system… right DTD? you actually be that is an actual thing
I don’t get the hate for this guy or honestly anyone who is labeled a ‘club house cancer’?…none of us are in the actual club house to know crap about crap!!!!! How do you know they caught said ‘break’?!
Why is this not a surprise?
This is karma at it’s finest. Look out for the Braves this season. Zero Puig like figures in the clubhouse to negatively affect all those youngsters. Could you imagine if he got into Acuna’s head and Acuna started demanding more money or no more fan appearances. Machado ended Schoop’s O’s career, single handedly. Braves fans, rejoice in today’s news.
And for Yasiel Boobie Miles Puig, there’s a reason why Matt Joyce received a contract before you did. I hope you can realize this during your season off. You are far too talented not to be playing but far too detrimental to a clubhouse to have a current contract.
If there was a better deal lurking (unlikely), and he wanted to get out of this potential signing…
Would not mind in the least to see him North of the border, after his climb out of the Covid Cell, an OF of Grich, Puig and Gurriel would look really good along with Tesco, Fisher and McKinney as depth options
Maybe Baltimore signs him after he’s tested negative.
DOH!!
Oh Homer, you do go on!
Licking bats has been known to cause COVID-19…
Grand opening, grand closing.
Well, la dee frickin da.
Chris Farley aka Matt Foley. I hope you don’t live in a down down by the river.
youtu.be/RlBr2fyqn9g
Meh, sounds about right
Puig….so much talent…so little results. Sad. He would not listen….went from poverty in Cuba to instant wealth…could not focus on his job. When Kershaw and Dave Roberts can’t help you….you are in a bad place. Go back to Cuba….probably broke.