The Obama administration on Tuesday announced that it would "allow Cuban citizens to work in the United States and receive salaries from American companies, a decision that could have a profound effect on the way major league teams sign Cuban baseball players," according to Ben Strauss of the N.Y. TIMES. Under the new guidelines, which go into effect Wednesday, it will "now be legal for franchises to sign contracts directly with Cuban ballplayers." Cuban players previously had to "defect before they could sign with a major league team." The signings will be lawful provided that the salaries are "paid directly to players and that no money goes directly to the government." While no rash of signings of players from inside Cuba "is imminent, the new regulations promise to significantly alter the signing process for players who have already defected or who do so in the future." President Obama is "scheduled to arrive in Havana on Monday and attend an exhibition game" between the MLB Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team the next day. MLB "has been in negotiations with Cuban officials for months to revamp the system by which Cuban ballplayers reach the major leagues." Under the new rules, players like Yulieski Gourriel and his brother Lourdes Jr., top Cuban players who defected in February, "could be eligible to sign with a major league team" as soon as today and "play for an American team immediately afterward" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/16).
