Yasiel Puig has been found guilty of federal crimes.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday the former Dodgers superstar was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making false statements after he was accused of lying to federal investigators about making illegal bets.

According to prosecutors, Puig faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for the obstruction of justice charge and an additional five years in prison for the false statement charge.
He will remain “free on his own personal recognizance” until the hearing, prosecutors said.

The feds claimed that back in May 2019, Puig began placing wagers through an associate, Donny Kadokawa, to an illegal gambling organization run by former minor leaguer Wayne Nix.

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Puig allegedly went on to gain access to Nix’s betting platform on his own, and prosecutors accused him of making an additional 899 bets on tennis, football and basketball games from July 2019 through September 2019.

In January 2022, Puig was interviewed about his role in the gambling org., but prosecutors alleged he lied about participating in it.

Puig made an agreement with the feds to close out the case in November 2022, and as part of the pact, he said he would plead guilty to lying to federal investigators.

But just days later, he backed out of the deal, and proclaimed his innocence in a statement.

“I want to clear my name,” he said at the time. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.”

Puig’s case ultimately went to trial at the end of January. A jury came back with its guilty verdicts on Friday.

Puig is due back in federal court on May 26 for sentencing.

Puig made his MLB debut on June 3, 2103 with the Dodgers, and became one of the city’s most beloved sports figures for his brash style of play and power at the plate. He was an All-Star with the Dodgers in 2014.

Following his time in the MLB, he logged at-bats in South Korea and the Mexican League.

The Athletics made two minor roster moves today as they continue shaping their 2026 club.

First, the A’s claimed 32-year-old Cuban infielder Andy Ibáñez off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. With their 40-man roster full, the club designated fellow infielder MaxSchuemann for assignment to make room for Ibáñez.

Last month, the Dodgers signed Ibáñez to a one-year, $1.2 million contract, only to release him earlier this week when they reclaimed outfielder Mike Siani. They hoped to keep the out-of-options player in their organization, yet the A’s claimed him. 

Ibáñez spent the last three seasons with the Detroit Tigers, carving out a role as a platoon utility player thanks to his .280 career batting average against left-handed pitching. In 2025, he accumulated four home runs and 21 RBIs in 91 games. 

After trading for second baseman Jeff McNeil earlier this winter, the A’s acquired Ibáñez to compete with youngsters Darrell Hernaiz, MaxMuncy and Brett Harris this spring for playing time at third base this year. All four candidates bat right handed, ruling out a third base platoon. Ibáñez also brings the defensive versatility the A’s value, with MLB experience at second base, first base, shortstop, and both corner outfield spots.

Unfortunately, Schuemann’s time with the franchise could be over unless he sneaks through waivers and returns as non-roster depth. Ibáñez’s arrival made Schuemann’s presence redundant as the club does not need that many offensively-challenged utility players.

Schuemann debuted in April 2024 and took over as the team’s starting shortstop for most of that season. However, Jacob Wilson’s emergence and Schuemann’s offensive struggles pushed him back into a part-time utility role last year. Given his defensive versatility and minor-league options remaining, another team will likely claim Schuemann on waivers unless they all bypass him due to his tepid offense.

In addition, the team reportedly agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with free-agent right handed relief pitcher Scott Barlow. Entering his ninth season, Barlow brings vast experience pitching in late-game situations to what is otherwise an inexperienced A’s bullpen. Last year, he appeared in 75 games with the Cincinnati Reds, going 6-3 with a 4.21 ERA. This is a low-cost move that fills a need, although Barlow will have to limit the free passes and get over allowing Nick Kurtz’s monster 493 ft grand slam at Sutter Health Park in September. At the very least, he cannot be worse than José Leclerc.

What do you think of these two moves A’s fans? Are you sad to see Schuemann go or is it the right call to jettison him from the 40-man? Who should the A’s sign next?

The Andy Ibáñez experience with the Dodgers lasted all of 24 days. The A’s claimed the veteran infielder off waivers on Friday, just three days after Ibáñez was bumped off the 40-man roster in Los Angeles.

Ibáñez was designated for assignment on Tuesday when the Dodgers claimed outfielder Michael Siani in one of his many waiver transactions this winter.

The Dodgers signed Ibáñez to a one-year, $1.2 million contract on January 13, more than a week before they landed Kyle Tucker. While that might not seem as relevant considering Tucker is an outfielder and Ibáñez is an infielder, adding Tucker essentially gives the Dodgers three mostly-everyday outfielders, which probably means utility man Tommy Edman spending more time on the infield instead of going back and forth between second base and center field.

That meant fewer opportunities for Ibáñez, who has played mostly second and third base throughout his career.

There might be more opportunities for playing time in Sacramento, though the A’s this winter also traded for Jeff McNeil and have an infield that already includes first baseman Nick Kurtz and shortstop Jacob Wilson, along with Zack Gelof, who is coming off surgery late last season.

Ibáñez in parts of five seasons with the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers is a .254/.305/.389 hitter with a 92 wRC+, including .280/.327/.452 with a 115 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. He turns 33 in April.

MLB might not have a salary cap (at least not yet, anyway).

But the league’s current rules were designed, at the least, to make it harder for the biggest-spending teams to maintain highly ranked farm systems –– using draft pick penalties and international signing pool restrictions to, in theory, prevent clubs with the largest MLB payrolls from also being able to replenish their minor-league ranks.

Once again, however, the Dodgers have found a way to break the mold.

In the run-up to spring training next week, industry outlets have begun releasing their farm system rankings for 2026. And on almost every list, the Dodgers’ pipeline remains right near the top, earning a top-five nod from most publications (albeit with a couple exceptions, most notably a No. 13 ranking from Baseball America) and the No. 1 spot in a poll of fellow major league executives conducted by MLB.com last month.

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For Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, preserving such farm system strength has long been a primary organizational goal. And while it’s “much easier to say than to do,” he acknowledged in a recent interview with The California Post, it’s become a key component to the club’s recent run of dominance; helping the Dodgers to restock their big-league clubhouse with depth, plug roster holes through the trade market and even woo top free agents with the promise of long-term sustainability.

“It’s funny. I remember in our meeting with Shohei (Ohtani), before he made his decision (as a free agent two offseasons ago), we were walking through, however you define the success of our previous 10 years, we felt like we were well-positioned to have an even better run in the next 10 years, despite all the factors working against us, (because of) having a strong farm system,” Friedman said. “I remember going through that, and got to the end, and Shohei just looked at me and goes, ‘How? How are you guys able to do that?’”

Over the last few years, the answer has required some non-traditional methods.

Since 2022, the Dodgers have made only two draft picks higher than 40th overall and just seven in the top 90 (a trend unlikely to change this year, when they will lose four of their top six picks as penalties for signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz). They’ve seen their international bonus pool, which is used to sign prospects who don’t enter the domestic draft system, annually slashed because of luxury tax penalties (they also had to dedicate almost all of last year’s pool to sign one player, Roki Sasaki). 

So, they’ve had to find other ways to preserve their pipeline, relying on diamond-in-the-rough discoveries, developmental success stories and shrewd trade maneuvers to maintain organizational depth.

“For us to be in the top 3-5 in different years, it speaks to organizational harmony,” Friedman said. “We have a high-achieving group that is creating a lot of organizational value.”

Start with the Dodgers’ consensus top two prospects: outfielders Josue De Paula and Eduardo Quintero. Both were relative bargains on the international market, signing for a combined total of less than $700,000. But both have blossomed since joining the organization, emerging as top-25 prospects in the entire sport according to Baseball America.

Then, there are the non-homegrown talents. Of the team’s top 10 prospects in ESPN’s recent rankings, only one was drafted by the team, while six were acquired via trade in recent years for players including Gavin Lux, Michael Busch, Dustin May and Matt Beaty.

Most contending clubs, of course, can’t afford to add young prospects by trading productive big-league players. But the Dodgers have stockpiled so much talent at the MLB level, they’ve been able to flip superfluous pieces on the trade market.

At last year’s deadline, for example, they added outfielders James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard for May (who was in the final year of his contract and being squeezed out of the Dodgers’ rotation). They also snagged an intriguing young pitcher, Adam Serwinoski, in a three-team deal that only cost them Triple-A catcher Hunter Feduccia (that deal also netted the club Ben Rortvedt, who played a key role early in last year’s postseason, and Paul Gervase, a depth reliever currently on the 40-man roster).

“That’s always the dream,” Friedman said of being able to add to the pipeline at the deadline. “The price gouging that happens in July on the buy-side is something that makes it easy for every buyer to feel like, ‘Oh, man, it’d be nice to be in a really good position in the standings to be able to reap the reward of this insane seller’s market.’”

This hasn’t been a foolproof plan. Despite their high annual pipeline rankings, the Dodgers have struggled to integrate much of their young talent into the big leagues. During their back-to-back World Series seasons the last two years, Will Smith and Andy Pages were the only farm system products to be mainstays in the lineup. Of this year’s projected starting rotation, only Emmet Sheehan is a homegrown player.

Still, there’s no easier way to sustain long-term success than having a farm system highly valued by the rest of the industry, stocked with players coveted by other clubs and projected for future big-league production.

MLB’s rules were supposed to stop teams like the Dodgers from maintaining such a strength.

Yet, here they remain, boasting the most star-studded roster in the majors, plus a pipeline that continues to be pegged as one of the best in the sport.

Dodgers top-10 prospects, per ESPN

1.) Josue De Paula — International signing

2.) Eduardo Quintero — International signing

3.) Zyhir Hope — Trade (for Michael Busch)

4.) Mike Sirota — Trade (for Gavin Lux)

5.) Emil Morales — International signing

6.) Alex Freeland — Draft (3rd Rd, 2022)

7.) Zach Ehrhard — Trade (for Dustin May)

8.) River Ryan — Trade (for Matt Beaty)

9.) Jackson Ferris — Trade (for Michael Busch)

10.) James Tibbs III — Trade (for Dustin May)