Canadian Baseball League Signs Puig Despite Gambling Case Conviction
Posted on: April 23, 2026, 05:12h.
Last updated on: April 23, 2026, 05:12h.
- Puig signs with Toronto professional baseball team, largest contract in Canadian Baseball League history
- Cuban national found guilty in illegal sports betting case in Los Angeles court in February
- Canadian Baseball League begins season in May
Yasiel Puig, the former Major League Baseball outfielder, found guilty in February in an illegal sports betting case in Los Angeles, has signed a contract to play baseball in a professional Canadian league.
Face of the League
The Canadian Baseball League’s Toronto Maple Leafs announced today they have signed the Cuban to play for the team this season.
According to local media reporting, the contract is the largest in league history. The CBL was formerly known as the Intercounty Baseball League, with teams located around Ontario, including Barrie, Guelph, London, Brantford, Hamilton, Kitchener, Chatham, and Welland.
The season gets going May 10, with the Kitchener Panthers in Toronto to play the Maple Leafs. Puig will make his debut then. The Toronto team plays at a ballpark in downtown Toronto called Christie Pits, with around 1,000 seats, while most fans chill on the grassy hills around the diamond.
May 26 Hearing
The league is rebranding as the CBL, and Puig reportedly is going to be the face of the league.
Puig, though, was found guilty of obstructing justice and lying to federal officials who were investigating an illegal sports betting ring this past February.
Puig is facing a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison on the obstruction charge and up to five years for the false statement charge. Puig remains free on his own recognizance, but will have to appear at a scheduled May 26 hearing for sentencing. Between July 4, 2019 to Sept. 29, 2019, Puig made 899 additional bets on tennis, football and basketball games (not baseball), sometimes making the bets at MLB ballparks before and after games. During that period he ran up nearly $1 million in gambling debt, which he never paid.
Puig burst onto the MLB scene with the Dodgers in 2013 with a rookie season where he hit .319 with 19 home runs and 42 RBIs in just 104 games. Puig compiled a .277 batting average, 132 home runs, and 415 RBIs, while adding 79 stolen bases over seven MLB seasons.
Since leaving MLB, Puig has played pro ball in Mexico, Venezuela, and South Korea.
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