MLB: Yasiel Puig Turned Down an Offer to Play in the KBO

The Kiwoomm Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization just signed former Cubs’ shortstop Addison Russell to a deal, but that’s not the biggest news. The KBO team also reportedly tried to sign another former MLB star. 

Speaking on the controversial Russell signing, Heroes GM Chi-Hyun Kim spoke about the team looking into MLB outfielder Yasiel Puig. The Heroes reportedly offered Puig a deal before they landed on Addison Russell. 

We felt we had a chance to sign him. But Puig decided he should give MLB another shot. 

For Puig, it’s not surprising that he would look for a job in MLB before committing to another league. The 29-year-old Puig played for a long time in Cuba before making his way to the United States and signing a deal with the Dodgers. 

Puig spent six seasons in Los Angeles before being traded to the Reds in December of 2018. In 2019, he spent time between Cincinnati and Cleveland with varying results. He finished up 2019 slashing .267/.327/.458 and is currently without a job. 

It was also reported in April that Yasiel Puig had a deal in place to play for the San Francisco Giants. That announcement came in April, though his camp was apparently waiting on MLB to decide a return plan before being able to sign. It’s unclear at this point if the Giants are still in on Yasiel. 

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