Puig was found guilty during a 12-day trial back in February. Since then, the 35-year-old former All-Star has signed to play in the independent Canadian Baseball League.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26 in Los Angeles, where his attorneys are expected to ask for probation.
‘Yasiel Puig is a first-time offender who has already been punished through years of prosecution, reputational damage, financial consequences, and the effective destruction of his professional life,’ Puig’s attorney, Keri Curtis Axel, told The Athletic via text.
‘A prison sentence is not proportional to the conduct and would not accomplish any rehabilitative purpose here. The Court has complete discretion over the sentence, and the defense will request a sentence of probation.’
These days, Yasiel Puig plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the independent CBL
The accusations against Puig resulted from an informal interview conducted with investigators in 2022 about bookmaker Wayne Nix.Â
At Puig’s trial, prosecutors played secretly recorded audio of the outfielder saying he wouldn’t be forthcoming with investigators. He was also accused of falsely denying that he used illegal betting websites.
Puig’s defense countered by claiming he did cooperate with feds, adding that he did not fully understand what he was being asked due to a language barrier.
Internal records showed that by June 2019, Puig owed the Nix operation a total of $282,900, which he reportedly repaid.
The records allege that from July 4, 2019 through until September 29, 2019, Puig placed 899 bets on various sporting events, including tennis, football and basketball.
He has not been convicted of any gambling charges.
Puig remains free on his own personal recognizance as he awaits his formal sentencing hearing, where he could face up to 20 years, although that’s considered unlikely.
His MLB career spanned seven seasons, where he maintained a .277 batting average with 132 home runs and 415 RBIs across 861 total regular season games played.
Dodger rookie Yasiel Puig during batting practice at Dodger Stadium June 5 2013
The Cuban-born Puig is seen playing for a Venezuelan team during the Caribbean SeriesÂ
During his 2013 debut season with the Dodgers, he finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .319 with 19 homers in 104 games.
The outfielder earned an All-Star selection in 2014, a year where he posted a .296 average and a .382 on-base percentage while leading the league in triples.
Since his last MLB appearance in 2019, Puig has played internationally in the Mexican League and the KBO League in Korea to continue his professional career.
Puig earned more than $50 million over his eight-year MLB career. Â
