Ex-MLB All-Star Yasiel Puig signs $1M deal with KBO's Kiwoom Heroes

Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Former MLB All-Star Yasiel Puig signed a one-year, $1M contract to play for the Kiwoom Heroes, the Korean Baseball Organization team announced Thursday.

Heroes general manager Ko Hyung-wook announced the signing in a news release. Puig is expected to report to the Heroes in time for 2022 spring camp.

He announced his intentions to join the team Wednesday on Twitter. The outfielder spent last summer in the Mexican League.

Puig, 31, last appeared in an MLB game in 2019. He hit .267 with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs in 149 games that season, which he split between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.

Puig spent the first six seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He faced sexual assault allegations earlier this year, but denied the allegations in an April statement.

"Watching Puig's game, I thought that he was a very talented player," Heroes general manager Ko Hyung-wook said. "Through direct conversations over time, I felt that he was faithful to his family and matured a lot in person.

"We expect him to have a positive impact on our team in terms of skills as well as a strong will to take on the challenge."

Puig hit .319 in 2013 and finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. The Cienfuegos, Cuba, native hit .296 with 16 home runs and 69 RBIs and earned an All-Star selection in 2014.

Puig hit .277 with 132 home runs in 861 career MLB appearances.

KT Wiz beat the Doosan Bears for the Korean Series title in November. The 2022 KBO season starts April 2. The league features 10 teams, which play 144-game regular-season schedules.