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Leagues and Governing Bodies

President Obama's Decision On Cuba-U.S. Relations Could Have Big Impact On MLB

President Obama’s decision yesterday to normalize relations between the U.S. and Cuba will "resonate through baseball," as the the "trickle of dazzling talent that already flows from the baseball-crazed island could turn into a geyser," according to Adam Kilgore of the WASHINGTON POST. A "stream of available players" would force MLB to "frame and police how teams acquire Cuban players." An influx of talent "may arrive from Cuba’s highest level into the majors and the upper levels of the minor leagues." Scouts would "flock to youth tournaments in an attempt to discover teenaged players with huge potential and sign them on the cheap." Within a few years, baseball academies "may spread across the island covered in the logos of major league teams, same as the patchwork of diamonds clustered around barracks-style dormitories strewn over the Dominican Republic" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/18). In Boston, Michael Silverman writes the "potential for a seismic shift" in MLB is "huge after yesterday’s stunning news development." But it is "far too early to say if Cuba will become an outpost much like the Dominican Republic" (BOSTON HERALD, 12/18). In Chicago, Jared Hopkins writes of Cuban players coming to MLB, "More may be on the way, but now they might not have to risk their lives to get here." The expansion of economic activity "could mean the disappearance of a well-oiled smuggling machine and the development of a robust baseball development program" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/18). ESPN's Pedro Gomez noted Cuba "does have an open forum with several countries where they will lend players." But they are not MLB, and "that's why you see so many of the top stars who have escaped risking their lives literally to have the opportunity to play" in MLB. Gomez: "We've seen the impact that the Cuban player has had recently, and it's been tremendous" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 12/18). In N.Y., Ken Davidoff writes the foreign relations development "very well might be a national pastime-changer" (N.Y. POST, 12/18). MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez wrote it is "impossible to ignore Cuba's impact on the game" (MLB.com, 12/17). 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Beaton & Miller write there are a "number of potential changes to watch." For Cuban players, leaving for the U.S. "often requires going through a smuggling network and then establishing residency in a third country to maximize their potential earnings and avoid being subject to baseball’s draft." The shift "also could change how Cuban players are scouted." Author Peter Bjarkman, who has written on Cuban baseball, said, "This could better very quickly the lives of the Cuban major leaguers who might now have the opportunity to send money back to their families and go back and visit." Bjarkman added that there "could be an increase in trips between the two sides, such as Cuban teams playing U.S. college teams more often, but that a massive immediate influx of Cuban players is unlikely." Another "potential question: Could normalization pave the way for MLB games in Cuba?" Havana "houses a stadium that is major-league size: Estadio Latinoamericano, which holds 55,000 people" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/18). In N.Y., Michael Schmidt notes some MLB officials wondered whether the league "might be tempted to relocate a team" like the Rays, who "have a feeble fan base, to Havana, where they would most likely be a sensation." Others "questioned how rich the Cuban talent pool really was." At one point yesterday, MLB became "so concerned about the reaction to Obama’s announcement that it sent a directive to its 30 teams pointing out that it remained illegal to scout players in Cuba, or to sign them" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/18). MLB Network's Ken Rosenthal reports both MLB and the MLBPA "issued kind of cautious optimistic statements yesterday about how this could develop." Rosenthal: "We could see ... exhibition games in Cuba, perhaps even a regular season series" ("Hot Stove," MLBN, 12/18). 

TOO EARLY TO TELL: USA TODAY's Jorge Ortiz writes the "instant riches" players like Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig and White Sox 1B Jose Abreu found once they made it to the U.S. -- signing deals worth $42M and $68M, respectively -- "might be reduced." Bjarkman said, "They don't want to simply turn over what they have to MLB. So it's going to be very hard to negotiate slowly some kind of a change in relations. It's not going to come overnight.'' Agent Jaime Torres, who has repped Cuban players for more than 20 years, said that it is "too early to know" the full ramifications. Torres: "There's still a lot of talent in Cuba. I think this incentive will motivate more players to give their all. Many Cuban players abandoned their teams and their careers because they were blocked from making the national team and traveling abroad and providing for their families." Torres "believes it will be easier for Cuban players ... to be granted entry to ply their trade in the U.S., but he wondered how MLB officials and the players association would react." Ortiz writes the "wishes of free access" to Cuban talent "may finally come to pass -- but not right away, and likely not for quite a while" (USA TODAY, 12/18). On Long Island, David Lennon notes on Opening Day last season, there were 19 Cuban players on MLB rosters, an "all-time high." Cuba's "immense pool of baseball talent eventually will be more available to major-league teams, but it's far too early to tell exactly how this will happen" (NEWSDAY, 12/18). 

WHAT IT MEANS: Former agent Joe Kehoskie said that the change "could eventually put Cuba ahead of Venezuela and the Dominican Republic as a leading talent source for MLB clubs" (L.A. TIMES, 12/18). In S.F., John Shea notes MLB "has talked for years" about an int'l draft. But "perhaps Cuba would prefer a posting system similar to what’s used in Asian countries," where players are "posted in an auction-type system where the team receives compensation." However, in Cuba, "maybe the government would receive the compensation" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/18). CBSSPORTS.com's Mike Axisa wrote he does not believe the move "will lead to the best players freely leaving Cuba." A system "similar to how MLB clubs acquire players from the Mexican League could be implemented." To acquire a player from Mexico, the MLB club "agrees to pay a player a bonus, and a large percentage [75%] of that bonus goes to the Mexican League team that controls the player's rights." Under that system, the player would "get to come to MLB, the MLB team would ... acquire the player they want, and the player's former team in Cuba would get a big chunk of cash for letting the player leave" (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/17). ESPN.com's David Schoenfield wondered, "How will this affect the Cuban league if all the best players leave the country?" (ESPN.com, 12/17).

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