SF Giants rumors: Yasiel Puig signing close

In SF Giants rumors on Sunday night, outfielder Yasiel Puig was reportedly close to signing.

Earlier this offseason, the SF Giants were rumored to be interested in signing former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig. On Sunday, those rumors took another step forward.

Cuban baseball reporter Francis Romero revealed the news on Twitter in the afternoon, writing “Yasiel Puig is very close to sign with San Francisco Giants, a source tells me. The contract amount is unknown, but would have a one-year option.”

Romero may not be a household name like some reporters, but he has been proven to be accurate in the past. He might be best known for reporting on the agreement between MLB and the Cuban Federation. He is best known for his reporting on Cuban baseball.

The two sides may not be able to make the agreement official yet, however, given MLB’s freeze on transactions.

Puig is a clearly a divisive player among Giants fans — really, among many fans in general. The 29-year-old spent the first six years of is MLB career in Los Angeles, where he was seen as controversial, verging on selfish. He hit .279/.353/.478 during his time there, good for .831 OPS (127 OPS+). He was worth 17.6 WAR during that time.

Last year, he spent time with both teams in Ohio, going .267 / .327 /.458 for .785 OPS (100 OPS+). He was worth nearly 1 win above replacement.

We wrote a little more than two weeks ago it might be fun to have Puig around for a little entertainment during a rebuilding year.

The Giants could use his right-handed bat, should he recapture it, and there appears to be room in the outfield mix.

One possible reason for the Giants interest: he and director of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi spent several years together in L.A.

Whether you agree with the idea of signing him or not, he would certainly add an extra layer of narrative to the Giants’ season. If that’s a good thing remains to be seen.