Former Dodgers All-Star Yasiel Puig Signs With New Team

He's playing baseball again.

Oct 27, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig (66) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning in game four of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star and fan favorite outfielder Yasiel Puig has found his next baseball home.

Puig, 35, has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Canadian Baseball League, per the Toronto Star.

The Maple Leafs were a semi-professional team from 1969-2025. This year, they officially joined the CBL, and have now added Puig to the roster in a blockbuster signing.

“We think he’s the most exciting player in men’s baseball who’s not playing in MLB right now,” Leafs CEO Keith Stein said to the Star. “And we think he’s better than a lot of guys who are in MLB. So we can’t believe our good fortune.”

Puig last appeared in an MLB game in 2019, a season he split between Cleveland and the Cincinnati Reds. Before that, Puig spent six seasons with the Dodgers, where he was an All-Star in 2014 and earned down-ballot MVP votes in 2013 and '14.

Puig appeared in 712 regular season games with the Dodgers, slashing .279/.353/.478. He hit 108 home runs, drove in 331 RBIs and had an OPS of .831. He also appeared in 58 postseason games, hitting .280 with five home runs, 23 RBIs and an OPS of .780.

In his final MLB season in 2019, he had 24 home runs, 84 RBIs and an OPS of .785.

Puig was supposed to sign with the Atlanta Braves in 2020, but tested positive for COVID-19. He then began bouncing around different leagues, spending time in the Dominican Professional Baseball League, the Mexican League, the Korea Baseball Organization and the Venezuelan Winter League.

Puig has been outspoken about wanting to return to MLB, but hasn't received the opportunity. At 35 years old, it's hard to imagine him making that dream come true.

Puig, however, will continue to have the opportunity to play baseball, and will be doing it in Canada on a team with championship aspirations.

“We’re going into this season believing now that we’re going to bring a championship to Toronto,” Stein said to The Star. “We think we have the best team, the most competitive team.”

Off the field, Puig has been involved in multiple legal cases. In 2021, it was reported that MLB interviewed a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Puig in 2018. Later that year, it was reported that Puig settled an additional sexual assault lawsuit by two other women. Charges were never pressed against Puig and he was never suspended.

This year, Puig was found guilty in U.S. federal court of two charges: lying to federal officers and obstruction of justice. Sentencing was set for May 26, 2026.

Stein said the Leafs "carried out extensive diligence" before signing Puig.

“We’ve had discussions with lots of different people," Stein said. "We are focused on what is the best talent that we can put on the field that’s going to represent the Toronto Maple Leafs in a way we can be proud of. We think that he is really on the right track in his personal life.

“He certainly deserves a chance to play professional baseball. And we think he’s going to be a great contributor to the team and to the community.”

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