Yasiel Puig signs in Toronto as former Dodgers star returns to pro baseball

The former Dodgers All-Star has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving the club a headline player as it enters its first season in the newly branded CBL. The Leafs had operated as a semi-pro team from 1969 through 2025 before making the jump to the full professional league this year.

That alone would have been a big story at Christie Pits. Then came the second punch: Leafs CEO Keith Stein said Puig received the largest contract in league history, though the exact terms were not disclosed.

That tells you what Toronto thinks this signing can do. Puig is not being brought in as a novelty act or a nostalgia name. He is being signed like a franchise statement.

Stein framed it even more aggressively when he said the Leafs believe Puig is the most exciting player in men's baseball outside MLB and better than a lot of players still in the majors. That is not quiet front-office talk. That is a club planting a flag.

Puig, 35, has not played in MLB since 2019, but his name still carries real weight. Over his big-league career, he hit .277 with 132 home runs, and his best seasons with the Dodgers made him one of the sport's most electric outfielders.

This move also lines up with Toronto's ambition. Stein said the Maple Leafs are entering the season believing they can bring a championship to the city, and Puig gives them a middle-of-the-order bat with star power the rest of the league cannot match.

That is the bigger play here. Maple Leafs games remain free to attend, so signing Puig is not just about wins. It is about drawing attention, building identity, and making Christie Pits feel like a destination again.

There is risk attached to that, too. The reporting around the signing noted the Leafs said they conducted extensive diligence before bringing Puig in, and the club clearly knew the reaction would not be limited to his bat speed or arm strength.

Still, the baseball upside is obvious. Puig has bounced between the KBO and Mexican League since leaving MLB, and Toronto is betting there is still enough impact left to tilt games and raise the league's profile in one shot.

The timing matters, too. According to the reporting, Puig is expected to debut when the Maple Leafs open their season May 10 at home against the Kitchener Panthers. That gives Toronto an instant event game to open a new chapter.

For the Maple Leafs, this is not a subtle move. It is a club telling the city, the league, and the rest of independent baseball that it intends to matter right away.

And for Puig, it is another comeback lane, this time in one of the most distinctive baseball settings in North America. Toronto did not just sign a former MLB name. It signed the kind of player meant to change the conversation around an entire league.