Yasiel Puig has signed with the Maple Leafs of the Canadian Baseball League, a semi-pro league based in Ontario, even as the former major league outfielder faces up to 15 years in prison after being found guilty two months ago of obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators.
The 35-year-old Puig is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26, just after the Maple Leafs open their season on May 10. The timing gives the signing an unusual edge: a player once known for his power and electricity on the field is now trying to keep playing while a federal case hangs over him.
The case stems from a 2022 interview with investigators about Puig’s ties to an illegal sports gambling operation. During that interview, Puig denied details about his involvement, even though he had already admitted to racking up more than $280,000 in losses while placing hundreds of bets on sports including tennis, football and basketball through a third party tied to the operation.
Puig’s baseball past is still substantial, which helps explain why his move to the Maple Leafs is drawing attention. The Dodgers called him up in 2013, and he hit.319 with 19 home runs while finishing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. He made the All-Star team in 2014 and went on to spend seven years in the majors, but he has not appeared in an MLB game since 2019.
By the end of his big league run, Puig had already bounced around before disappearing from the league entirely. The signing with Toronto’s Maple Leafs does not erase the legal jeopardy ahead of him, and it does not bring him back to the majors. It does, however, put him back on a field at a moment when the next court date may matter more than the next box score.
