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Yasiel Puig

Yasiel Puig Changes Plea To Not Guilty In Gambling Case

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Just over two weeks ago, it was reported that Yasiel Puig pled guilty to lying to federal agents during an investigation into an illegal gambling operation. Now he has withdrawn from that plea agreement, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, changing his plea to not guilty. “I want to clear my name,” Puig said in a statement. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.”

The former big leaguer would have been eligible for probation and had agreed to pay a fine of at least $55,000 under the agreement. Having now withdrawn, Puig could face trial and a maximum sentence of five years in prison. “Significant new evidence” prompted the change, according to Keri Axel, Puig’s attorney. “We are prepared to publicly share that information in the appropriate forum and at the appropriate time,” Axel says.

The government alleges that Puig lost almost $300K on sports bets in the first half of 2019 but then lied to investigators over a Zoom call about it. “Mr. Puig, who has a third-grade education, had untreated mental-health issues, and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him,” Axel says, in relation to that Zoom call.

Puig played in the majors from 2013 to 2019 but there is no evidence in the plea agreement that he bet on baseball.

Yasiel Puig Pleads Guilty To Lying To Federal Investigators In Gambling Case

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Former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig pled guilty to lying to federal agents during an investigation into an illegal gambling operation, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California. The official charge, making false statements, is a felony that can carry a sentence of up to five years in federal prison.

According to the U.S. Attorney, Puig has agreed to pay a fine of at least $55K as part of a plea agreement initially filed in August. He’s expected to make a court appearance tomorrow; it isn’t clear whether he’ll be formally sentenced at that point, nor did the U.S. Attorney announce whether Puig is expected to serve any prison time.

The press release states that Puig agreed to place hundreds of bets in an illicit gambling ring between May and September 2019. The U.S. Attorney indicates that Puig — then a member of the Reds and Indians — bet on football, tennis and basketball but does not suggest he ever placed a bet on baseball. The criminal charge stemmed not from the bets themselves but a meeting with federal investigators this past January, in which Puig told agents he’d never discussed gambling with an anonymous member of the operation. The press release indicates Puig then told a second individual in March that he’d lied to federal investigators during the January interview; agents evidently obtained that message at some point in recent months.

Puig has not played in the majors since that 2019 season. The former Dodgers All-Star sat out the 2020 campaign after a positive COVID-19 test derailed a free agent deal with the Braves. The following offseason, reports emerged he was facing a civil suit for an alleged 2018 sexual assault. Puig settled that action, and eventually signed with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization for the 2022 season. Last December, the Washington Post reported Puig had settled two additional civil actions related to sexual assault allegations back in 2017.

The 31-year-old outfielder hit .277/.368/.474 through 547 plate appearances with the Heroes this year. He has previously maintained he hopes to return to Major League Baseball, but it’s very difficult to envision him getting another MLB opportunity at this point. His KBO job may also be in jeopardy. Heroes general manager Young-wook Goh indicated this evening he’d been unaware of the gambling investigation (via reporter Daniel Kim). Goh suggested the team would look into the matter further before making any final decisions but implied they’d be unlikely to re-sign Puig based on this news.

Recapping The KBO League’s International Player Signings

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With the lockout slowing MLB-related transactions to a crawl of minor league deals, transactions involving Korean Baseball Organization teams have taken more of a spotlight on MLBTR’s pages since the start of December.  These moves have included the signings of several names familiar to North American baseball fans, as the KBO League’s clubs have looked to address their allocated three roster spots for non-Korean players.  International-born players can only sign contracts worth a maximum of $1MM in total salary, and players new to the KBO League can sign only one-year pacts.

Though the Doosan Bears have one signing that still isn’t yet official, the other 29 slots have been filled.  It is still possible this list could be adjusted in the coming weeks due to a number of factors — injuries, players returning to North America (for personal reasons or a deal with an MLB team), issues related to the pandemic, or teams just changing their minds after seeing the players in training camp.  Here is the rundown of this winter’s international signings for the 10 KBO League franchises….

Doosan Bears
Jose Miguel Fernandez (deal not yet finalized), Ariel Miranda, Robert Stock

NC Dinos
Nick Martini, Wes Parsons, Drew Rucinski

Hanwha Eagles
Ryan Carpenter, Nick Kingham, Mike Tauchman

Lotte Giants
Charlie Barnes, DJ Peters, Glenn Sparkman

Kiwoom Heroes
Tyler Eppler, Eric Jokisch, Yasiel Puig

SSG Landers
Kevin Cron, Wilmer Font, Ivan Nova

Samsung Lions
David Buchanan, Jose Pirela, Albert Suarez

Kia Tigers
Socrates Brito, Sean Nolin, Ronnie Williams

LG Twins
Casey Kelly, Adam Plutko, Rio Ruiz

KT Wiz
William Cuevas, Odrisamer Despaigne, Henry Ramos

Report: Yasiel Puig Faced Two Sexual Assault Allegations In 2017

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Outfielder Yasiel Puig was accused of sexual assault by two women in January 2017, according to a report from Gus Garcia-Roberts of the Washington Post. Puig had also been accused of sexual assault in 2018, with those previously-reported allegations resulting in a civil action that was settled out of court this past October.

The Post report contains details on the disturbing set of allegations made against the then-Dodgers outfielder in 2017. One woman alleged Puig became violent during a sexual encounter. She reported the allegation to police — who photographed injuries she said resulted therefrom — but declined to pursue criminal charges. The other woman alleged that Puig attempted to force her to engage in various sexual acts without her consent, according to a letter from the woman’s attorney to Puig obtained by the Post. There is no indication the second woman reported the alleged assault to police.

Both women initiated civil actions against Puig which were confidentially settled out of court by April 2017. As part of both settlements, Puig denied the veracity of the allegations. His attorney tells the Post that Puig agreed to settle based on the advice of counsel at the time, citing the Cuba native’s “limited English abilities” as a factor in Puig’s decision to go along with that course of action. Puig’s agent, Lisette Carnet, told the Post she believes Latin American players are particularly susceptible to false allegations being made against them. She also claimed that players agreeing to confidential settlements with accusers of sexual assault is a common practice throughout MLB, one some agents consider “part of the business behind the game.”

Major League Baseball investigated both incidents in 2017, according to Garcia-Roberts, ultimately making the determination not to impose discipline. That decision was made “based on the evidence available to league investigators,” a league spokesperson told the Post. (MLB was permitted to speak with the women despite the respective settlements’ inclusion of non-disclosure agreements, per Garcia-Roberts, although it’s not clear whether they ever did so).

Puig continued to play that season while the league’s investigation was ongoing. That’s standard practice in instances where the allegations have not been made public, Garcia-Roberts notes. While the MLB – MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy gives the league the authority to place a player accused of a violation on paid administrative leave pending investigation, the Post writes that MLB has typically declined to do so unless the allegations are made public in some other way or unless they’re on the verge of imposing discipline.

Dodgers president Stan Kasten told the Post that he had “no recollection” of the allegations against Puig. Garcia-Roberts notes that the Joint Domestic Violence Policy contains a provision that limits the league’s ability to disclose information related to an investigation — even to the player’s team — to certain circumstances (i.e. for the imposition of discipline, in anticipation of a grievance, when needed to further potential mental health treatment for the player, etc.).

Puig played in Los Angeles through the end of the 2018 season. He split the 2019 campaign between the Reds and Indians. While he’d neared an agreement to sign with the Braves in 2020, that deal was scuttled after he tested positive for COVID-19. He didn’t play last year, then spent 2021 in the Mexican League. Last week, Puig signed with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization. In recent months, the 31-year-old has continued to express a desire to eventually return to MLB.

KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Sign Yasiel Puig

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Free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig is in agreement with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, reports Yonhap News (h/t to Yonhap’s Jeeho Yoo). It’ll be a one-year, $1MM contract, the maximum amount allowed under KBO rules for first-year foreign players. (Francys Romero of Las Mayores reported yesterday that Puig was nearing agreement with a KBO team).

Puig, who turned 31 years old yesterday, hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2019. After a league average offensive showing between the Reds and Indians that year, he lingered on the free agent market for the entire offseason. Puig looked as if he’d lined up a deal with the Braves coming out of the pandemic-driven transactions freeze last July, but his potential agreement with Atlanta was scuttled after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Puig didn’t wind up playing in 2020. During the ensuing offseason, a woman filed a civil action against him, alleging that he had sexually assaulted her in 2018. In March, John Barr of ESPN detailed the allegations, which Puig and his representatives denied. Criminal charges were never filed, and the parties settled the civil case out of court this past October.

While Puig continued to express interest in a return to Major League Baseball, he spent the 2021 season in the Mexican League. The right-handed hitter signed with El Águila de Veracruz. He hit .312/.409/.517 across 247 plate appearances and 62 games. He’ll now reportedly head to South Korea for his first career action outside of North America.

Puig has appeared in seven big league seasons, including star-level showings in each of his first two years with the Dodgers. He appeared on MVP balloting in both 2013 and 2014, earning an All-Star selection in the latter of those seasons. From 2015 onwards, Puig settled in as a solid but not elite offensive player, posting slightly above-average marks until his average 2019 showing. For his career, he’s a .277/.348/.475 hitter.

Yasiel Puig To Sign With Mexican League Team

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Outfielder Yasiel Puig hasn’t been able to find work in the majors, but it does appear he’ll play professional baseball in 2021. Puig will sign with Veracruz of the Mexican League, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.

Now 30 years old, Puig starred with the Dodgers at times from 2013-18. However, there were some off-field issues along the way, including two reckless driving arrests. The Dodgers moved on from Puig in a trade with the Reds heading into 2019, during which he went on to slash .267/.327/.458 with 29 home runs and 19 stolen bases in 611 plate appearances between Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Statistically, Puig did enough with the Ohio teams to earn another contract going into last season, but he sat on the open market into the summer. While the Braves appeared to have a deal with Puig in the middle of July, that fell through when he tested positive for COVID-19. Puig didn’t end up playing in MLB last season as a result, nor did he garner major interest as a free agent this past offseason – likely because of serious off-field allegations.

Last October, a woman filed a civil lawsuit against Puig, who she claims sexually assaulted her at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 2018. Puig and his legal team categorically denied those allegations last week, when the 30-year-old called them “totally false.” He also expressed a desire to return to MLB, but he’ll have to play at a lower level for at least the time being.

Yasiel Puig Issues Statement On Sexual Assault Allegations

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Free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig has been facing a civil lawsuit since October, when a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 2018. Puig has now released a statement (all of which is available via his Twitter account) through his attorney denying the allegations.

“I am speaking out now to defend my name against false and malicious allegations by a woman who claims I assaulted her in 2018,” he said. “Let me be clear and set the record straight once and for all: These allegations are totally false, the evidence proves they are false, and I look forward to all the truth and facts coming out.”

Puig went on to admit that he and the alleged victim “had consensual sex” and “planned to get together again, but we never did.”

In a lengthy statement of his own, Alan Jackson – a member of Puig’s legal team – claims the allegations are “provable lies,” as “the plaintiff’s own Instagram messages and text messages contradict her claims. They show that she initiated contact with Mr. Puig earlier that evening.”

According to Jackson, the plaintiff continued to contact Puig after the encounter. Jackson expects “the truth to be revealed” and hopes “Major League Baseball and the clubs will see through this charade.”

Puig concluded by stating a desire “to play the game that I love so much.”

Puig last appeared in the majors in 2019 with the Reds and Indians, and though he appeared close to a deal with the Braves last summer, the potential agreement collapsed after a positive COVID-19 test. The 30-year-old hasn’t garnered much interest since then.

Latest On Allegations Against Yasiel Puig

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As outfielder Yasiel Puig remains unsigned and hopeful of a return to Major League Baseball, the sexual assault allegations brought forth against him earlier this offseason continue to cloud his market. Both Andy McCullough of The Athletic and John Barr of ESPN looked at the situation and the allegations in depth this week. McCullough spoke to Puig’s agent Rachel Luba, and Barr interviewed both the alleged victim and her brother. Luba declined to comment on the ongoing litigation when asked by The Athletic, choosing instead to focus on the outfielder’s baseball resume and desire to return to the game.

No police reports or criminal charges have been filed against Puig, although he is the subject of a civil suit filed by his accuser. The report from Barr is the first indication that the league has looked into the matter, although a full investigation has yet to take place. As Barr details, the league informed the plaintiff and her attorney that further investigation would not be possible because she has yet to provide her name. She tells Barr that she prefers to keep her identity out of public reporting on the matter because she runs an L.A.-area business wherein she works with other professional athletes. For the purposes of the suit against Puig and her interview with Barr, she is referenced only as “Jane Roe.”

The alleged incident, which is said to have occurred when Puig followed the woman into a bathroom at a 2018 Lakers game, is detailed at length in the linked reports from ESPN and The Athletic. Barr notes that court filings also detail a series of text messages from Puig to his accuser in the days after the Lakers game in question, wherein Puig sought to arrange a private meeting between the two. The woman tells Barr she does not recall when she gave Puig her number but that it would not have been unusual to do so for business purposes.

McCullough and colleagues Ken Rosenthal and Katie Strang note that Puig’s camp has filed a motion to have the suit dismissed, taking the position that publicizing the lawsuit while remaining anonymous seeks only to “convict Mr. Puig in the court of public opinion, before Mr. Puig even has an opportunity to defend himself.” The plaintiff’s attorney calls that motion a “thinly veiled attempt by Defendant Puig to humiliate, harass, and punish” her client and pressure the woman into dropping the charges.

There’s no indication at this point as to when a judge will rule on on the suit or the motion to dismiss, although Barr writes that the suit itself is enough to dissuade many clubs from showing legitimate interest in Puig. The 30-year-old Puig has been a lightning rod for controversy even before these allegations surfaced in November, and one front office executive tells Barr that teams simply do not “want the headache” associated with signing him.

Puig has twice been arrested for reckless driving in the past, and he has drawn team-issued discipline at times in the past for being late to the field — though Luba contends that was due to an undiagnosed case of ADHD which is now being treated. Puig has not played in a Major League game since the conclusion of the 2019 season, as a reported one-year agreement with the Braves last winter fell through when Puig tested positive for Covid-19.

FA News & Rumors: Puig, Phils, Mets, Dee, Soria

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Despite sitting out all of last season, outfielder Yasiel Puig looks as if he could be an interesting and inexpensive pickup for someone this winter. The problem is that no one seems to be aggressively pursuing Puig. The Royals, Marlins and Yankees have all been connected to Puig in recent weeks, but none of them are going after him, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Puig, who turned 30 in December, was a standout with the Dodgers earlier in his career, but he endured a mediocre 2019 between the Reds and Indians and sat on the open market for all of last year. While Puig did appear to have a deal with the Braves in the summer, that collapsed when he tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-July.

  • The Phillies have shown interest in a pair of utility players – Marwin Gonzalez (previously reported) and Brad Miller – as well as outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, according to Heyman. The division-rival Mets are also considering Gonzalez, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com relays. Gonzalez and Miller are fits just about anywhere because of their histories of combining respectable offense with defensive versatility, whereas the Phillies and other NL teams look like an imperfect match for Choo. Not only is he 38 years old, but Choo has struggled as a defender for most of his career.
  • Four to five teams are in the mix for middle infielder/outfielder Dee Strange-Gordon, and he could make a decision on his next club by week’s end, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. The Red Sox were interested in Strange-Gordon earlier this offseason, but they’re likely out of the running after signing fellow infielder/outfielder Enrique Hernandez, per Cotillo. The Reds are reportedly one of the teams in on the 32-year-old speedster, who’s a free agent at an inopportune time after three consecutive dismal seasons with the Mariners.
  • Veteran reliever Joakim Soria agreed to join the Diamondbacks for a $3.5MM guarantee Wednesday, but he turned down bigger offers from elsewhere to do so, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The 36-year-old right-hander, a two-time All-Star who turned in his latest solid season with the Athletics in 2020, is in line to close for Arizona.

Latest On Yasiel Puig And The Outfield Market

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JANUARY 24: Jon Heyman of MLB Network casts doubt on the Yankees as a potential fit for Puig, tweeting that there’s “no evidence” New York has interest in adding another right-handed hitting outfielder.

JANUARY 23: The Marlins have been tied to a number of outfielders lately, including Anthony Santander of the Orioles and Andrew Benintendi of the Red Sox. Limited financial resources will curb their willingness to bid on free agent options like Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario, tweets Jon Heyman. They do, however, have some prospect capital that they’re willing to spend on the right player. At present, Corey Dickerson returns to left, Starling Marte to center, and Garrett Cooper to right, with Brian Anderson occasionally shifting from third base to right, and Lewis Brinson, Harold Ramirez, and Magneuris Sierra filling as speed and defensive replacements. If the Marlins go the free agent route, however, they may explore a union with Yasiel Puig. Not having played in the Majors since 2019, Puig is a candidate to sign a value or incentive-laden deal, should if he land a contract this winter.

The Yankees and Royals are also possible destinations for Puig, per Jim Bowden of MLB Network (via Twitter). For the Royals’ part, they have been looking for another bat to join a largely-unproven group in the grass made up of Franchy Cordero, Michael A. Taylor, and a number of options who could end up elsewhere on the diamond, such as Whit Merrifield, Ryan McBroom, Hunter Dozier, and likely DH Jorge Soler. In looking to add to that group, they’ve generally zeroed in on left-handed hitters. Even with the group they have in-house, the Royals could possibly still add a couple of outfielders, if the price were right.

As for the Yankees, they would be a surprising destination for Puig, if there were no corresponding moves. They are, after all, pretty well-stocked in the outfield with Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, Aaron Judge, and Mike Tauchman on the roster, Greg Allen on the 40-man roster, and Brett Gardner hanging out in free agency. Puig’s colorful personality would also be an interesting fit on the Yankees, who for literal and metaphorical reasons are generally regarded as a clean-cut organization. Still, that doesn’t preclude Puig from heading to the Bronx. After all, it’s not as if an interesting character or two haven’t donned pinstripes in the past.

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