Major League Baseball, its Players Association, and the Cuban Baseball Federation agreed to a landmark deal Wednesday that will ease the process for star Cuban baseball players to sign with MLB teams.
Under the deal, which runs through 2021, players age 25 and over who have at least six years of pro experience in the Cuban Federation must be released in order to sign with an MLB team; teams in the federation may also release younger players at their discretion.
Once a player is released, they are treated like other international free agents – similar to the deals MLB has with the Nippon Professional Baseball League, Korean Baseball Organization, and Chinese Professional Baseball League. The MLB teams pay a release fee to the team (normally 15 to 20 percent of the player’s contract) for the rights to the players’ services. Most notably, it will allow players to be signed directly from Cuba without having to abandon their contract, defect from their homeland, and establish residency in another country first.
That said, it would be a great move for all parties involved. However, according to Yahoo! Sports, the deal could be blocked if “Trump administration officials roll back Obama-era provisions that paved the way for the historic pact.” But they would be foolish to try to stop it.
It’s a move that will allow MLB to tap deeper into the Cuban market since players will no longer have to abandon their home country and be involved with criminal cartels to whom they make massive payouts under threat. For example, former MLB infielder Yunel Escobar was held for ransom ($150,000) by his traffickers after fleeing Cuba in hopes of scoring an MLB contract while Cleveland Indians outfielder Leonys Martin was held at gunpoint in exchange for 30 percent of his first MLB contract.
It’s less dangerous to allow players simply to sign under this new deal, their old teams receive compensation and it’s definitely more enticing for some. Under these new rules, players do not have to choose between loyalty to their homeland, friends, and family versus an MLB career – since those who leave the island are generally not welcome back.
After all, Cuban national team shortstop Yorbis Borroto said earlier this year that playing Major League Baseball is, “the dream, but we want to play legally. We play for our family and country.”
The talent is certainly there and somewhat visible in the big leagues, like Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (who averages nearly 30 home runs per season), New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (a 2014 All-Star), and New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman (whose fastball tops out at 105 MPH), among others.
The players who stay home tend to be talented as well. They proved it when the Cuban national team held their own in a 4-1 exhibition loss to the Tampa Bay Rays just prior to the 2016 MLB regular season. Plus, Cuba has three Olympic gold medals in the sport.
It’s also worth noting some Cuban MLBers are thrilled about the news.
Current and former Cuban players are thrilled with the news. pic.twitter.com/RkT4q1EgFl
— MLB (@MLB) December 20, 2018
Among the opponents of this deal is Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
I have asked state dept & White House to review the deal that allows Cuban regime to conduct state sponsored trafficking of baseball players.
Unlike Japan & Mexico the regime controls sports & the state department should issue a ruling to that effect. https://t.co/Ismcgr4P7o
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 20, 2018
In other words, Rubio does not like the deal because pro sports are outlawed in Cuba and the Cuban government would receive the posting fees from MLB.
As the grandchild of Cuban defectors, Rubio does not have warm feelings towards the communist regime – which is fair.
However, the majority of Americans favor ending trade embargos against Cuba (58 percent, according to a 2016 CBS/New York Times poll) and by Rubio’s logic, the U.S. should stop doing business with China altogether because its communist dictatorship benefits from it.
With 30 teams and 25 roster spots per team, Major League Baseball should do everything in its power to have the best 750 players on its rosters – and Cuban players should be no different. If some of these players are politically communist, so be it. People aren’t tuning into MLB games for players’ takes on how government should work.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelance writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
