MLB, Cuban Baseball Federation Sign Agreement To Limit Defections, Trafficking Of Players

WLRN Public Media | By Mimi Whitefield

Published December 19, 2018 at 11:29 PM EST

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Yulieski Gurriel, who now plays in the MLB, defected from Cuba's Ciego de Avila team in 2016 during the Caribbean Series. A new agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation seeks to create a safe and legal pathway for Cuban players to sign MLB contracts.

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association reached a historic agreement Wednesday with the Cuban Baseball Federation.

The agreement, which MLB owners voted on Wednesday afternoon, is designed to give Cuban players an alternative to a journey that often takes them to third countries such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic or Haiti where they establish residency and then try to sign MLB contracts.

“This puts them at considerable hardship. They are often forced to contract with criminal smuggling gangs and pay a fair amount of money from their signing bonuses to smugglers,” said Dan Halem, MLB deputy commissioner. “Some are also harassed by smugglers after they sign.”

Read more from our news partner, The Miami Herald.