Giants Reportedly Haven't Ruled Out Signing Yasiel Puig, a Man They Used to Hate With a Passion
Yasiel Puig remains unsigned, while the MLB season is currently delayed for at least two months. That gives teams plenty of time to consider Puig as a fit, though his status as a lightning rod for controversy (and bench-clearing) must be taken into account.
One team reportedly considering the outfielder, surprisingly enough, is the San Francisco Giants. That would be an odd sight after years of Puig playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the sworn enemies of the Giants for decades upon decades.
The Giants reportedly are "willing to consider" signing Yasiel Puig as a free agent https://t.co/V5fOmwh2un pic.twitter.com/3GBcWFw5he
— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) March 17, 2020
Puig squared off against the Giants on a regular basis in NL West play during a Dodgers tenure that lasted from 2013-2018. That led to some heated moments, but time has passed and taking a chance on Puig wouldn't be the worst idea.
He has a career 18.9 WAR in seven seasons, and is arguably the best position player left in free agency.
I want Puig to sign with the Giants, I want him to face Madison Bumgarner as a Diamondback, and then I want him to give a totally straight-faced interview after the game about how "the Giants do things" and how they "go about their business."
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) February 7, 2020
The Giants currently have Hunter Pence and Billy Hamilton ready to roll in the outfield. Mike Yastrzemski also got significant playing time in 2019. That may be why the Giants are just in the "willing to consider" stage. The bad blood between Puig and the Giants from the past is likely not a problem for the front office at this point. If the goal is to keep rebuilding with a youth movement, however, it's not entirely clear where Puig fits in.