Yasiel Puig’s Defection Story

Puig made his debut for the Dodgers in 2013.

The legendary Vin Scully dubbed him "The Wild Horse" for his aggressive style of play.

And there's no doubt, Puig was a little batshit.

14 months before he got to the big leagues, he was in the swamps of Cuba, waiting on a speedboat that symbolized his ticket to freedom.

Puig had tried to defect several times before but was unsuccessful.

It's worth mentioning that Yasiel has never publicly discussed his defection, but the details come from a first-hand account that was made public through a lawsuit.

We'll get to that in a second.

First, it's important to understand who's involved here.

Defection from Cuba is a risky and difficult process that often involves illegal activities, such as paying criminals or being smuggled out of the country in secret.

Yunior Despaigne, a Cuban boxer, defected with Puig and was the one who brought the idea to him in the first place.

Yunior and Yasiel had known each other since they were kids.

Despaigne had secured a deal with a man in Miami, Raul Pacheco, who he says agreed to pay him $150K and a house if he could get Yasiel to the States.

Pacheco wasn't an experienced smuggler; he was actually an air conditioner repairman, but he knew Puig was worth millions to one of the big league clubs.

After months of convincing, Yasiel agreed to pay Pacheco and his crew 20% of his MLB contract plus the expenses of the smuggling trip if Pacheco could pull it off.

From the Homage x Negro League Collection

Despaigne, Puig, Puig's girlfriend, and a Priest that they brought for good luck started their journey.

It started with a three-hour drive, followed by 30 hours of hiking with no sleep.

After days in the jungle drinking rotten water, Puig was ready to call it quits and turn around, but then the smugglers finally showed up in a cigarette boat.

Everyone hopped aboard and they set sail for Mexico.

At one point on the trip, the boat ran out of gas and drifted for an entire night.

After almost being crushed by a container ship, they were rescued and refueled by one of the smugglers' colleagues.

Ultimately, after 36 hours, the boat reached Isla Mujeres, an island off the coast of Cancun.

Once they got to Mexico, they may have felt free, but were actually hostages.

The smugglers held Puig and the three others in a hotel while they waited on the money Pacheco had promised them - $250,000.

Turns out Pacheco either changed his mind, or couldn’t pay, because the money never came.

After waiting three weeks, the smugglers started to get impatient.

They even threatened to cut off Puig’s fingers.

The smugglers were led by Tomas Valdivia, aka "Tomasito," who was on Florida’s most wanted list for grand larceny and assault of a police officer with a deadly weapon.

After Tomasito couldn’t get the money from Pacheco, he struck a deal with a man named “El Rubio."

Or at least he thought he did.

His new partner was actually colluding with Pacheco to steal Puig and the three others.

Pacheco coordinated the whole thing and the four hostages escaped in the middle of the night without being caught by the smugglers.

They were then flown to Mexico City from Cancun.

Yasiel had to stay in Mexico City for a short time to establish residency, which allowed him to operate as an unrestricted free agent instead of entering the draft.

By July, Yasiel was able to get his documentation in place, and finally cross the border into the U.S., seeking asylum.

Shortly after, he signed with the Dodgers for $42 million guaranteed.

After Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford got injured, the Dodgers brought Puig up to the Big Leagues.

Only a year after escaping Cuba, he was playing on a Major League field.

Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

He hit four bombs in his first five games, and was National League "Player of the Week."

The Dodgers proceeded to go from last place to first place within a month and a half.

But nothing is free.

Puig was forced to surrender about $8 million to the men who had arranged his defection.

When Yunior tried to collect his money, he was short changed.

They only gave him $27K; Pacheco denied ever offering Despaigne any money.

Puig cut Despaigne a check for an additional $70K.

Yunior persisted with Pacheco, who eventually told him to "get a big gun" and come get his money if he really wanted it that bad.

In an effort to recover his money, he joined a $12 million lawsuit being brought against Puig; which alleged that he fabricated a story that got a man arrested and tortured in Cuba.

I know, it’s a lot to keep track of.

Basically, Puig got busted trying to defect back in '09.

In an effort to keep playing baseball and not go to jail, he agreed to become a government informant.

He told the feds that Corbacho Daudinot had offered him a plan to get off the island, and as a result, the man was jailed and tortured, which is where the lawsuit came from.

It's a whole different rabbit hole that you'll have to research for yourself.

At the end of the day, the suit was dismissed.

Since his first couple of seasons, Yasiel hasn't really been the same: injuries, on-field altercations, and legal troubles have plagued him.

Currently, he is playing for Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Winter League.