Former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig, who played in 100 games for the Cincinnati Reds during the 2019 season, signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Korea Baseball Organization's Kiwoom Heroes, according to a report Wednesday via Twitter from Yonhap's Jeeho Yoo.
Yoo added that the club's official announcement is expected soon:
Puig played this past summer for El Águila de Veracruz of the Mexican League. A benches-clearing brawl ensued when Puig was hit by a pitch in July against Pericos de Puebla.
Puig, 31, became a free agent after the 2019 season. He has not played in MLB since.
In April, Puig issued a statement addressing an allegation by a woman who said Puig sexually assaulted her in 2018 in a Staples Center bathroom. He said he had consensual sex with the woman.A report in March by ESPN.com's John Barr stated that the outfielder remained without a job - at least in part, per a source - because of the allegation, adding that MLB investigators interviewed the woman.
Puig hit .252 with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs for Cincinnati in 2019. In 207 plate appearances after the Reds sent Puig to Cleveland as part of a three-team trade that brought 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati, Puig hit .297 with two homers and 23 RBIs.
Puig announced via Twitter in July 2020 that he tested positive for COVID-19, and his deal with the Atlanta Braves that had been reported earlier that week was off after the two sides failed to reach a formal agreement.
Puig played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for six seasons before the Reds acquired him in Dec. 2018 with Kyle Farmer, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and cash for Jeter Downs, Josiah Gray and Homer Bailey.
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