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The Cuban baseball player Yasiel Puig has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Canadian Baseball League (CBL) and will be positioned as the face of the new Canadian professional league in its inaugural season, according to journalist Francys Romero.
The player, aged 35, will be on the team's roster for the Opening Day on May 10, when the Maple Leafs make their home debut against the Kitchener Panthers in what will be the first game of the CBL as a professional league.
The idea is to make Puig the emblem of a league that has just transitioned to professionalism after decades as a semi-professional circuit, rebranded from the historic Intercounty Baseball League in November 2025.
In statements to the press, Keith Stein, the CEO of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team, did not hold back in praising the Cuban, describing him as "the most exciting player in men's baseball not currently playing in MLB" and stating that he is "better than many in MLB."
The contract is the largest in the team's history, although no figures have been disclosed. The club acknowledged Puig's legal issues but stated that it has conducted "thorough due diligence" and believes that the player is on the "right path."
The judicial backdrop is undeniable. On February 7, 2026, a federal jury in Los Angeles found Puig guilty of obstructing justice and lying to federal authorities, in a case linked to an illegal betting ring led by Wayne Nix, a former minor league pitcher.
Authorities claim that Puig placed at least 900 bets in 2019, accumulating losses exceeding $280,000 in tennis, American football, and basketball, and that he lied to federal investigators in January 2022 about his knowledge of the operation.
Donny Kadokawa, a baseball coach from Hawaii who acted as an intermediary for placing bets, testified during the trial, along with officials from Major League Baseball.
Puig faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, and his sentencing is scheduled for May 26, just 16 days after Opening Day, when he would debut with Toronto.
In 2022, Puig had initially pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents, but later withdrew that plea, citing "significant new evidence" and decided to go to trial. "I want to clear my name. I should never have pleaded guilty to a crime I didn't commit."
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