Yasiel Puig is on trial for illegal gambling and perjury. The Cuban Bronco’s career is in danger of ending.
The time spent in Korea last year was meaningful to Puig. Unable to find a team due to various scandals and contract failures in the splendid major league, he signed with Kiwoom Heroes and played one season in the KBO League. His first half was somewhat disappointing, but as he adjusted in the second half, his individual performance improved and contributed to his team’s progress to the Korean Series. Puig also showed a complete assimilation with the Kiwoom players.
However, during the renewal of the contract, it was announced that he would be tried by the US Department of Justice for illegal gambling and perjury, and Kiwoom eventually gave up the contract. Puig denied the allegation, and actively refuted it through his agent, saying that it was the result of being pressured by investigators in a situation where the perjury was not in full condition.
In the midst of this, there was no Puig in the name of the WBC 50-man entry announced by the Cuban Baseball Federation on the 7th. Cuba is preparing ambitiously for this WBC. Cuba, which was once the world’s best in amateur baseball, has greatly weakened as most of the promising players defected to the United States. Performance in international competitions is also not good. So, the Cuban Baseball Federation consulted with the government and this time decided to persuade some major leaguers who had fled Cuba to compete in the WBC. A number of major leaguers refused to be drafted, but some players decided to participate.
It is not the final entry, but a 50-man entry, but Yoann Moncada, a major league infielder from the Chicago White Sox, Livan Moinero (Softbank) and Rydel Martinez (Chunichi), who play in the Japanese professional baseball league, were selected. If you guess 30 of them, the Cuban military power is not easy.
But in this situation, Puig was left out. The best outfield lineup is expected to consist of Luis Robert, Yadier Drake and Roel Santos. In terms of skills alone, Puig can also be selected for the 50-man entry, and especially for Puig who wants to re-enter the major leagues, it is much more advantageous to show his good health in the WBC. However, it seems that complicated personal problems have affected him enough to prevent him from being selected for the national team’s preliminary entry.
In the US local media, there are often mentions of Puig to this day. The question is whether Puig will ever be able to play in the major leagues again, but he has not been able to find a team he can play for this season, and it is unclear when the trial will end and whether Puig can be acquitted. There is a possibility that the trial will take much longer than expected. It is also unclear whether he will be able to find a team to play for active duty again after a long trial.
In this way, there is a possibility that the career of the ‘wild horse’ will be cut off. Major league clubs have already raised their hands against Puig. Puig, who had many troubles not only in the sexual assault controversy but also in his personal attitude, managed to make a comeback in Korea, but because of this problem, the possibility of recruiting completely disappeared. The extension of Puig’s active duty does not seem easy.