Cesar Puello: Heads to free agency

Puello cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Puello struggled to a .206/.308/.206 line in 17 games between the Rays and Angels last season, prompting Tampa Bay to drop him from their 40-man roster following the season. He performed much better at Triple-A -- slashing a combined .327/.377/.526 with 13 homers and 18 steals in 87 games between Salt Lake and Round Rock -- so he should catch on somewhere else as outfield depth.