Yasiel Puig Reportedly Agrees to Contract with Braves Ahead of MLB Restart
July 14, 2020
Yasiel Puig's journey across Major League Baseball continues after the one-time All-Star agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Financial terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.
After spending the first six years of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Puig found himself bouncing around the majors in 2019. He split last season between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.
The Wild Horse looked like two different hitters during his 100 games with the Reds and 49 games with the Indians. He relied predominantly on his power to provide value in Cincinnati with a .252/.302/.475 slash line and 22 homers.
Following a July 30 trade to Cleveland, Puig appeared to change his approach to hit for average. The Cuban star posted a .297/.377/.423 slash line with two homers and 21 walks.
Despite those differences in performance, Puig's overall batting line (.267/.327/.458) in 2019 falls right in line with his career averages (.277/.348/.475). He has settled into being a solid MLB outfielder since taking the sport by storm upon his debut in 2013.
There are reasons to be optimistic Puig will be able to at least hold his current value, if not improve, for the next few seasons. He's only 29 years old and has shown the potential to be a dynamic all-around player when everything is going well.
Puig also has extensive postseason experience thanks to his time with the Dodgers. He performed well under the spotlight with a .280/.351/.429 slash line in 182 at-bats. One of the best games of his career was in Game 7 of the 2018 National League Championship Series. He went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer in the sixth inning to seal Los Angeles' 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Even though Puig's performance can be erratic, he has more than enough upside for the Braves to bet on him being worth this investment. His raw talent is immense when everything is clicking, and few players are better or more fun to watch.