The former Dodgers star is headed to the CBL while a federal sentencing looms in May.
Yasiel Puig is back in baseball, sort of. The former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the semi-professional Canadian Baseball League today, in what the organization described as the largest contract in the league’s history. The announcement comes as Puig, 35, awaits a federal sentencing hearing scheduled for May 26.
The Toronto Maple Leafs in question are not the NHL franchise of the same name. The CBL club, based in Ontario, announced the signing and confirmed Puig is expected to appear in the lineup for their season opener on May 10 against the Kitchener Panthers at Dominico Field at Christie Pits in Toronto.
Puig returns to the field with legal uncertainty ahead
Puig has not played in Major League Baseball since 2019, when his seven-season run across three organizations came to a close. Over 861 games with the Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians, he hit .277 with 132 home runs and an .823 OPS. He was one of the more electric players in the sport during his prime, known for a cannon arm in right field and a personality that filled every ballpark he entered.
His 2013 debut with the Dodgers remains one of the more memorable in recent memory. He hit .319 with 19 home runs across just 104 games and finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. His lone All-Star selection came in 2014, when he posted 37 doubles and 16 home runs for Los Angeles.
Yasiel Puig signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Canadian Baseball League yesterday, per source.
Puig, 35, is expected to be on the roster for CBL Opening Day on May 10.
However, he has a pending court date on May 26 that could affect his participation in the league.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) April 23, 2026
A federal guilty plea complicates the picture
The CBL signing carries an unavoidable asterisk. In February, Puig pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making false statements to federal investigators. The charges stem from a 2022 interview in which prosecutors say he denied involvement with a third party connected to an illegal sports gambling ring operating in Southern California, despite having previously acknowledged more than $280,000 in losses tied to the operation.
Federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said Puig placed hundreds of bets on football and tennis, accumulating close to $1 million in gambling debt that was never repaid. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, though legal observers widely expect a shorter sentence given the nature of the plea.
The Maple Leafs are banking on star power
The CBL organization is clearly hoping Puig’s name alone moves the needle for a league that operates well outside the mainstream sports conversation. The team’s leadership expressed strong confidence in his ability to compete at a high level despite the years away from professional play. Whether Puig actually suits up for any meaningful stretch of the season depends entirely on what happens at the May 26 hearing, which could result in immediate incarceration.
For now, Opening Day is May 10. Sentencing is May 26. What happens in between, and especially after, is the only part of this story nobody can predict yet.