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Yasiel Puig

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.

Latest On Yasiel Puig

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Free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig hasn’t played in the majors since 2019, but the league hasn’t forgotten about him. Several clubs – the Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, Marlins and Orioles – “appear to have varying levels of interest” in Puig, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets.

After a largely successful career with the Dodgers, Reds and Cleveland from 2013-19, Puig looked like a surefire bet to land a guaranteed contract last offseason. But the former All-Star didn’t encounter as much serious interest as expected, and he didn’t find a deal until the Braves agreed to sign him in the middle of July – shortly before the truncated season was set to begin. However, the contract never became official because Puig tested positive for COVID-19 just a few days later. Considering how long it would have taken Puig to recover and get up to speed, it was seemingly too late for the Braves or another big league club to sign him before the year ended.

Although last year was a lost season for Puig, he does appear to be an appealing buy-low type for MLB teams that aren’t necessarily looking to spend big on outfield help in free agency or via trade. Puig, who turned 30 last month, is the owner of a .277/.348/.475 line with 132 home runs and 79 stolen bases across 3,376 plate appearances. That history of above-average production should help Puig land a reasonably priced contract before next season starts.

Free Agent Notes: Kluber, Turner, Duvall, Puig

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It’s confirmed that free-agent right-hander Corey Kluber will hold a showcase for interested teams on Jan. 13 in Florida, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Kluber, a former Cleveland and Texas hurler who missed most of the previous two seasons because of a forearm fracture and shoulder problems, has gone through “a normal winter workout program and has begun to throw off a mound,” tweets the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, who reports that the two-time AL Cy Young winner has generated interest from approximately 12 teams this offseason. Kluber hasn’t pitched a full season since 2018, but the now-34-year-old did log a 2.89 ERA in 215 innings then.

  • Third baseman Justin Turner is looking for a four-year contract, but the Dodgers don’t want to go above two years, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times writes. Turner spent the previous seven seasons as a member of the Dodgers, with whom he went from afterthought to star. The problem is that he’s now 36 years old, so the Dodgers (and other teams) may not be all that eager to commit to Turner on a long-term basis. MLBTR predicted at the beginning of the offseason that Turner would ink a two-year, $24MM deal.
  • The Marlins are interested in outfielder Adam Duvall, Craig Mish of Sportsnet tweets. The 32-year-old ex-Red spent the previous two-plus seasons in Atlanta, where he batted .231/.290/488 with 26 home runs in 396 plate appearances. As a Brave, Duvall was a powerful league-average hitter (100 wRC+), but that wasn’t enough for the team to tender him a contract earlier this winter, when it non-tendered him in lieu of paying him $4MM-plus in arbitration.
  • Speaking of the Marlins, they offered Yasiel Puig a $2MM base salary with “tons of incentives” during free agency a winter ago, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Puig didn’t end up signing with them or any other team in 2020. He did agree to a deal with the Braves in July, but that deal fell apart thanks to a positive COVID-19 test. Now that he’s healthy, though, Puig is back on MLB teams’ radars – including Miami’s.

Yasiel Puig Looking To Return To Majors In 2021

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8:54pm: Puig is already generating MLB interest, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, who writes that “the Astros, Orioles and Red Sox are among the teams that have Puig on their radar.”

3:53pm: After a season out of baseball, free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig has hired Rachel Luba as his new agent, Luba announced on Twitter. That suggests Puig is looking to return to the pro ranks in 2021.

The past year has not gone according to plan for Puig, who was a fairly hyped free agent last offseason. Puig was unable to reach a deal until he finally agreed to a contract with the Braves in the middle of July, but that pact fell apart almost immediately. The soon-to-be 30-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 just a couple of days after the Braves deal, which caused the team to call off the signing. For the most part, it has been radio silence on Puig since then.

Last time he took the field, in 2019, Puig batted .267/.327/.458 (101 wRC+) with 24 home runs and 19 stolen bases over 611 plate appearances between the Reds and Indians. While his counting stats were solid, it was still a relatively disappointing year for a player who has typically been a well-above-average hitter throughout his career. Also a former Dodger, Puig has slashed .277/.348/.475 (124 wRC+) during his major league tenure. The hope for Puig is that he’ll return to that form if he does get back to the bigs in 2021. For now, he’s one of the most established and recognizable outfielders on the open market.

Yasiel Puig Tests Positive For Coronavirus; Deal With Braves Reportedly Off

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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.

Braves To Sign Yasiel Puig

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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.

Yasiel Puig | David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

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.

Orioles Have Reportedly Made Offer To Yasiel Puig

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The Orioles are interested in signing free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig and have made “at least one offer,” according to a report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. We don’t yet know an estimate of the value of that contract offer, but one can only assume it would be a one-year pact for Puig, who evidently didn’t garner the interest he had hoped to in free agency.

Puig, 29, is certainly the most intriguing player left on the open market, with teams expressing a relative lack of interest in the former Dodger compared to other outfielders. That, combined with an extended stay in free agency due to the roster freeze enforced during MLB’s shutdown, means that Puig has largely been forgotten as the regular season approaches.

But he may have found a match in Baltimore. With just about two weeks until the season is set to get underway, there’s a clear need in the outfield. Whereas one might have projected the O’s Opening Day outfield to consist of Dwight Smith Jr., Anthony Santander, and Trey Mancini, none of those three are currently in camp. Mancini, of course, is recovering from surgery to remove a malignant tumor. But the unforeseen absences of Santander and Smith Jr., who have yet to report for camp, have made the Baltimore outfield mix especially thin.

Assuming that Santander and Smith Jr. will return to full health in the near future, that need will be mitigated some, but signing Puig might be preferable to relying on some combination of Stevie Wilkerson, D.J. Stewart, and Austin Hays. Puig could slide right into Mancini’s spot in right field, forming a respectable outfield trio alongside (hopefully) Smith Jr. and Santander.

If Puig were to sign with Baltimore, he would instantly become the most recognizable—and perhaps the best—player on an otherwise destitute roster, especially one that will likely be without Trey Mancini for 2020. And while Puig is no longer the electrifying young star that quickly rose to fame when he entered the league, that doesn’t mean he can’t be a productive Major Leaguer.

Last year, between Cincinnati and Cleveland, Puig batted .267/.327/.458 and slugged 24 home runs. He also managed to steal 19 bases—albeit without great efficiency—and has a track record of solid defense in right field. Needless to say, this wouldn’t be a slam dunk signing for the Orioles, and it likely doesn’t significantly improve the 2020 outlook, but it’s the type of signing that makes sense for a club in their position.

MLB Transaction Freeze Lifts This Friday

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The Major League Baseball season now has a target date for players to report to “Summer” Training (July 1) and for a truncated 60-game season to at last begin on July 23-24. Starved baseball fans finally have some dates to look forward to — and teams throughout the league suddenly have some work to do.

Major League Baseball rosters have been frozen since late March, but that freeze will come to an end this Friday at noon ET, and any club looking to bring in new players will want to give those players as much notice as possible. Plus, with a universal DH and with Opening Day rosters expanding to 30 players (and shrinking to 28 and 26, respectively, 15 and 29 days into the season), it’ll be all the more critical for teams to have depth.

What can we expect? The trade deadline is Aug. 31, and there’s no indication that there are any restrictions on making swaps prior to the season. Perhaps that’ll prove to be the case, but to this point it seems that player movement can come back in full force in just over 48 hours. And, between some lingering names from the offseason market and the sweeping releases made by teams in the past several weeks, there are some recognizable names out there.

Still Unsigned From 2019-20 Offseason

Yasiel Puig is the big name to watch, of course. The longtime Dodgers slugger recently drew interest from a KBO team but told their GM he preferred to take another shot at latching on with an MLB team in 2020. Just last night, Puig tweeted: “Baseball is back and God knows I’m ready #letthewildhorseloose”.

Puig isn’t the only one though. Among the notable names: Russell Martin, Scooter Gennett, Melky Cabrera, Jacoby Ellsbury, Hanley Ramirez, Mark Trumbo, Clay Buchholz, Andrew Cashner, Marco Estrada, Matt Harvey, Danny Salazar, Aaron Sanchez, Jason Vargas, Matt Albers, Pat Neshek, Fernando Rodney, Arodys Vizcaino, Tony Cingrani, Zach Duke, Tony Sipp and Jonny Venters.

Released in Recent Weeks

Many teams throughout the league cut more than 30 minor leaguers beginning in late March, and while most were lower-level names that have no big league experience, there were some recognizable names among the bunch. Teams in need of depth could take a look at the likes of: Edwin Jackson, Shane Carle, Tim Melville, Carlos Asuaje, David Huff, Brock Stewart, Deck McGuire, Brooks Pounders, T.J. Rivera, Aaron Blair, Dalton Pompey, Jake Elmore, Travis Snider and others.

Spring Opt-Outs/Releases

Just prior to the shutdown, veteran righty Jared Hughes opted out of his deal with the Astros, making him available to sign anywhere as well. Among players who were cut loose or opted out prior to the shutdown, he may be the best of the bunch based on recent track record, but there are others. Veteran righties Hunter Strickland and David Hernandez were cut loose by the Nats but have both had their share of success in the big leagues. Right-hander Sam Tuivailala was released by the Mariners as well after some velocity red flags in camp, but he has youth on his side and was a promising young reliever before injuries sidetracked him for the past couple years.

Trade Scenarios to Consider

We don’t know precisely how teams will react to being able to exchange players with each other once again. Some clubs will likely look to unload salary early on after experiencing unprecedented revenue losses — but buyers could be reluctant for similar reasons. At the same time, might the shortened 60-game season embolden less-concrete contenders to make bold plays early on? Teams like the White Sox and Reds were among the most aggressive in free agency this winter; would they take their foot off the pedal now? That seems unlikely.

The opposite could hold true as well. Normally, a team getting out to a slow start wouldn’t be seen as a nail in the coffin — the 2019 World Champs say “hello!” — but three- or four-week slump to start the 2020 campaign could push clubs into “sell” mode early. A team that starts the season 8-13, for instance, would be through 35 percent of its games and could feel forced to begin mulling tough decisions.

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There’s so much that’s unknown still about just how transactions will look. The league and players union may very well still be hammering out some of these specifics. We know that each club will submit a 60-name list of players who can participate in Spring Training by Sunday, but the very fact that trades and transactions are permitted suggests that there’s room for those lists and taxi squads to be adjusted throughout the season (just as would be the case with the 40-man roster under normal circumstances). However the specifics play out, fans can ready for some actual player movement beginning this weekend.

Latest On Yasiel Puig

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8:25pm: The Giants expect to be contenders to sign Puig when the league lifts its transaction freeze Friday, Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets. They were connected to Puig on multiple occasions over the winter.

11:01am: Prior to their deal with former Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization spoke to outfielder Yasiel Puig about a potential deal for the 2020 season, Heroes GM Kim Chi-hyun tells Jee-ho of the Yonhap News Agency (Twitter link). Ultimately, Puig’s preference was to take another shot at latching on with a Major League team once play resumes.

As entertaining as it might’ve been to see what type of numbers Puig could post in the KBO (to say nothing of the bat flips he might unleash), it’s not much of a surprise that he prefers to wait to see what type of interest he might garner on a big league deal at this point. Puig doesn’t appear to have been thrilled with the offers he received over the winter and surely won’t find a better deal now amid enormous revenue losses throughout MLB, but there’s plenty of reason to think he might yet find his way onto a roster.

Not only are teams are expected to expand active rosters to 30 players — plus a taxi squad of up to perhaps 20 players — but the universal DH is expected to be implemented for the 2020 season. That’s not to say that Puig is a poor fielder or prime DH candidate. To the contrary, he graded out as an average right fielder in 2019 and has a track record of above average performances. But the added bat to each lineup of the 15 NL clubs still makes it easier for any of them to justify signing him, whether to serve as a primary DH, to push a lesser defensive outfielder into a DH role or simply to add him to a corner outfield/DH rotation. The truncated 60-game schedule might give some clubs hope of fielding a competitive club under an “anything can happen” mentality.

Financially speaking, Puig it doesn’t seem likely that Puig would field particularly lucrative offers once the transaction freeze is lifted. That said, he might still stand to earn more than he would’ve in the KBO, where the maximum salary for a first-year foreign player is $1MM (and where he’d be playing on a prorated deal  as well, since the season is already underway). Plus, in order to sign with the Heroes or any other KBO team, he’d have had to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arriving in South Korea. At this point, assuming MLB is actually able to begin play on July 24-26 as hoped, the timeline for Puig to get into an MLB game and the timeline to get into a KBO game might not be all that different.

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