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Yasiel Puig, Cuban Defector, Gets $42 Million From Dodgers

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With the numbers Yasiel Puig has put up in Cuba, it is no wonder he was a highly sought after Major League Baseball talent. The Los Angeles Dodgers got the prize today, signing the Cuban defector to a $42 million-contract over seven years.

This deal, pending the 21-year-old can pass a physical, would make him the highest recipient of a baseball dollar amount in league history, blowing by the four-year, $36 million deal the Oakland A’s signed Yoenis Cespedes signed.

“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. He averaged .370 in 46 at-bats in the playoffs

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