Red Sox: Signing Yasiel Puig is not the answer to outfield woes
By Steven Brown
The Wild Horse’s ego might be costly to the Red Sox
Those who pay attention to the baseball world are well aware of the antics of Yasiel Puig. From bat-licking to bat-flipping. His reputation is well-known as he can be loveable, albeit toxic to the environment of a clubhouse. The baggage the outfielder carries appears to outweigh the productivity he would present to the franchise. Early Monday afternoon, MLB Network Insider Mark Feinsand reported that the Boston Red Sox, among other teams, were interested in signing the veteran corner outfielder.
Yasiel Puig is drawing interest from multiple teams, per sources. Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, Marlins and Orioles appear to have varying levels of interest.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 4, 2021
This is the second time since late November that we have seen Puig’s name tied to the Red Sox, with the initial report stating that the Red Sox, Orioles, and Astros were inquiring on the outfielder’s services.
From the days of his beginnings in Los Angeles to his days as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, Puig has a notoriety for being in the middle of controversy, at times being the pinnacle of mayhem on the field. While he is a proven contributor both offensively and defensively, a players’ attitude may speak louder than their production as a player in some cases.
The team has a very young core at present and a veteran player like Puig could potentially be a bad influence on the youth, encouraging incidents we have seen in the past like the infamous brawl that he participated in after he was traded to Cleveland–
https://twitter.com/UCSportsMedia/status/1156398156600553472
While a defense could be made in Puig’s name that he was not the antagonizer in inciting a brawl, he still played a big role in being ejected from the game after getting in the middle of the mosh pit. Along with the fighting and obscure attitude come off the field issues. While nothing has come of this incident to this point, Puig was accused of sexual assault on a woman in late October.
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Any negative attention to the Red Sox for lack of morals and integrity is another factor to consider here, as the club will hopefully refrain from willfully bringing a player with standing charges on board to play for a respected franchise. Not to mention the relentlessness of the press and their willingness to boldly ask questions about this incident. Things could get ugly for Puig in Boston very quickly.
It’s clear that in the event that Jackie Bradley Jr. does in fact sign elsewhere, the Red Sox will either have to sign an interim center fielder or find an additional corner outfielder to allow current right fielder Alex Verdugo to slide over to center in Bradley Jr.’s place.
The fact that Boston is still interested in Puig would seemingly imply that they do not feel comfortable starting recently-signed outfielder Hunter Renfroe on a daily basis. A transaction of this nature makes sense moving forward, but perhaps with another player with less baggage and controversy.
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On paper, Puig looks like a good complimentary signing to aid the lack of outfield presence moving into 2021. When analyzing the overall track record that the outfielder has accrued throughout his seven years in the major leagues (2020 aside), it is fair to say that the Red Sox should do the right thing and let him take his talents elsewhere.