Dodgers Will Sign a Cuban, Yasiel Puig

Where did this come from?  Out of the Blue the Dodgers show the league that they are not to be dismissed.  With the new Dodgers ownership just getting their feet wet over the past couple of months, they take an early opportunity to let everyone know they have the cash and willpower to put the best talent possible on the field.

Today, we get word that the Dodgers and Cuban slugger Yasiel Puig have agreed on a contract.  Enrique Rojas at ESPN has more.

Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig has reached agreement on a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources told ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com.

The agreement is pending a physical exam, and would be the largest dollar figure accorded a Cuban defector, surpassing the four-year, $36 million deal of Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Céspedes in February.

"Puig's contract with the Dodgers should be completed by Friday. The young man could play in the major leagues this year, maybe in time to help with the race for the playoffs or the World Series," said the source, who added that the agreement includes some clauses that could permit Puig to become a free agent after his fourth year.

Under the new rules that regulate the hiring of Cuban ballplayers, upon receiving permanent residency, known as FM2 in Mexico, Puig will not need to be unblocked by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the agency of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that enforces the sanctions of the United States' embargo against Cuba.

The 21-year-old Puig batted .330 with 17 home runs, 47 RBIs and 78 runs scored in 327 at-bats with the Cienfuegos Elefantes in the 2010-11 Cuban National Series. Later, he averaged .370 in 46 at-bats in the playoffs, at barely 20 years of age.

Puig, who also was considered the fastest player in Cuban baseball, was left off the Cienfuegos team for the 2011-12 season after having been caught on several occasions trying to escape the country. He finally succeeded in defecting last month.

I think left field is taken for awhile. If he is as good as they say then we look to be pretty good in the outfield for quite some time.  The best part about this deal is that we don't have to give anything up to get him.  This also make me wonder whether we would have been a player for Yu Darvish if Magic's group had taken over ownership much sooner than they did.  I had read on numerous occasions that they Dodgers scouts loved him.

And I have another question.  How exactly do you pronounce Yasiel Puig?

Here is a video from youtube of our newest Dodger.

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