Just when all the "play the game the right way" moralists thought they could take it easy for the winter, Yasiel Puig had to go and get himself arrested. According to the Naples Daily News, Puig was arrested in Florida on Saturday morning on charges of reckless driving. The report states that Puig was allegedly caught going 110 MPH in his new Mercedes. The posted speed limit was 70 MPH.
This isn't Puig's first run in with the law though. Back in April, he was also arrested on reckless driving charges in Tennessee, but those charges were eventually dropped. Of course, that happened when Puig was still in the minors and not nearly under the same scrutiny. After a season of being scolded by columnists for his brash attitude and lack of fundamentals in the field, having another black mark on his record is only going to fuel his critics' fire.
The narrative is just too perfect for them to pass up. Puig is now reckless both on the field and off of it. So expect there to be months and months of finger-wagging regarding Puig and how imperative it is that he grow up before he hurts his team, himself or someone else. While there are many that don't care if Puig overthrows the occasional cut-off man, there is no real excusing driving at a high rate of speed that can put his life and the lives of everyone else on the road in jeopardy. Sorry, Yasiel, but the moralists now have the upper hand.
Beyond that, there isn't likely to be much fallout from this. MLB doesn't suspend anyone for DUI arrests, so they won't be disciplining Puig for this incident. The Dodgers might try to fine Puig in their continued effort to rein him in, but that should be the worst that happens to him, if anything at all. Even from a legal standpoint, Puig almost certainly isn't looking at jail time.
