Cubs free agent focus: Yasiel Puig

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With Hot Stove season underway, NBC Sports Chicago is taking a look at some of MLB’s top free agents and how they’d fit with the Cubs.

Yasiel Puig looked to be a superstar in the making as a rookie with the Dodgers in 2013. In 104 games, the Cuban right fielder posted a .319/.391/.534 slash line, a 159 OPS+ and hit 19 home runs.

That 2013 performance had folks debating if Puig was a better player than Angels superstar Mike Trout. The debate has obviously long been settled in Trout’s favor, thanks to his elite-level play year in and year out. But Puig’s performance in the ensuing years quickly helped shut down those gaudy comparisons.

Puig had a stellar 2014 season, slashing .296/.382/.480 with 16 homers and a 145 OPS+ in 148 games. But since 2015 he’s averaged a .264/.330/.462 line, 109 OPS+, 19 home runs and 122 games played. He was demoted to Triple-A for a month in 2016 and was a platoon player from 2017-18. The Dodgers ultimately shipped him to the Reds last offseason, the latter of whom dealt him to the Indians at the 2019 trade deadline.

Puig hasn’t lived up to the billing from his rookie season and has been involved in a number of on-field incidents during his career. This includes 2019’s infamous brawl between the Reds and Pirates, which occurred minutes after news broke that Cincinnati was trading Puig to Cleveland.

But with Puig’s notoriety comes a player full of energy, one who's flashed all five tools and has plenty of postseason experience (58 games in six seasons). That could come in handy for the Cubs, who may trade away a member of their championship core this offseason to shed payroll and retool the roster.

With Jason Heyward manning right field and Kyle Schwarber in left, the Cubs would have to rotate their alignment to fit Puig on the roster. Heyward is a five-time Gold Glove Award winner in right, but the Cubs were willing to move him to center in 2019 after acquiring Nicholas Castellanos. Whether they’re willing to do that for a full season is debatable.

Nonetheless, Puig is only 28 years old and won’t break the bank, key for a Cubs team conscious of their payroll. He comes with questions, but beyond that is a solid player who may have a higher level to take his game.

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