MLB teams would pay the Cuban Baseball Federation for the release of their players' rightsGETTY IMAGES
MLB and the Cuban Baseball Federation have struck a deal that would "allow Cuban players to join major league organizations without defecting, though the agreement could be scuttled if Trump administration officials roll back Obama-era provisions that paved the way for the historic pact," according to sources cited by Jeff Passan of YAHOO SPORTS. The deal "aims to end the trafficking of players by smugglers -- situations that have led to players being kidnapped, threatened and extorted." Sources said that players would come to the U.S. on "work visas, and teams would pay the CBF, a nongovernmental organization that runs pro baseball in Cuba, for the release of their rights." Similar agreements "exist in Japan, Korea and Taiwan." In the deal with Cuba, which runs through '21, players who are 25 years old "would receive a mandatory release, allowing them to come to the U.S." Sources said that younger players "would be released at the CBF’s discretion." MLB teams also would "pay a release fee on top of the money owed a player." Sources said that should the government "choose not to intervene, players could begin coming to MLB" starting yesterday. Further, it could "pave the way for Cubans in the U.S. already to potentially join the country's World Baseball Classic team" when the tournament returns in '21 (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/19). MLB Deputy Commissioner/Baseball Administration & Chief Legal Officer Dan Halem said the deal "took three years to negotiate because there were a lot of sticking points" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 12/19).
IMPROVING THE PROCESS: The AP's Weissenstein & Blum noted depending on the quality of future players, the agreement "could mean millions in dollars in future income for the cash-poor Cuban federation, which has seen the quality of players and facilities decline in recent years as talent went overseas." A player can "decide whether he wants a registered MLBPA agent to negotiate a major league contract." He also may "use a representative other than an agent to negotiate a minor league deal." Outgoing U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said the agreement was a "homerun." He also wrote on Twitter, "This deal will make life better for Cuban baseball players, who will no longer have to risk unsafe passage to the U.S." (AP, 12/19). In DC, Sheinin & DeYoung note in MLB's view, the agreement with Cuba was "motivated by humanitarian concerns to halt the influence of smugglers and traffickers who have preyed upon Cuban defectors in the past." Many top Cuban players, such as Puig, have "endured harrowing episodes involving smugglers and human traffickers" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/20). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said Cuban players "don't want to have to come here in the bottom of a speedboat" and risk their lives "to get in." Kornheiser: "This is a very positive result of the lessening of tensions" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 12/19). CNN's Patrick Oppmann tweeted, "To think that Cuba for decades wouldn’t show @mlb games where defectors played. They were banned from returning to Cuba. Now players will come and go and probably live here in the off season" (TWITTER.com, 12/19).
ENHANCING WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: MLB Network's Jon Morosi said the agreement "could open the pathway where we could technically see these players now playing under the Cuban flag" in the WBC. That is "huge news for the tournament and that's now going to be up to the Cuban Baseball Federation, as long as MLB clubs approve." Fans "could see the likes" of White Sox 1B Jose Abreu, Mets LF Yoenis Cespedes, Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig and others "playing for their home country again" ("MLB Tonight," MLB Network, 12/19).
DEAL NOT WITHOUT RESISTANCE: In N.Y., Waldstein & Rogers note within hours of the announcement of the deal, the Trump administration had "attacked the deal, essentially threatening to scuttle it before it could be put in place." The White House in a statement said that it would "continue to work to restrict the Cuban regime's ability to profit" from U.S. businesses. It also indicated that the plan would "create another human rights issue -- one carried out by the Cuban government rather than traffickers." The Cuban Embassy "did not immediately respond to a request for comment." But Cuban Ambassador to the U.S. José Ramón Cabañas "seemed to express government support for the deal on Twitter" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/20). USA TODAY's Ortiz & Gomez note some officials in the Trump administration "believe MLB is acting under a ruling from the State Department (under Obama) that the Cuban federation is not a part of the regime, and thus U.S. companies are allowed to enter into contracts with that entity." However, the current State Department could "rescind or change that determination and make the CBF off limits to U.S. businesses." The agreement has already "drawn opposition from members of the Cuban-American community, which has grappled in recent years with former President Obama's historic rapprochement with the communist island and Trump's moves to scale back that opening." U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), one of the "strongest critics of Obama's diplomatic and economic opening with Cuba, equated the MLB deal with 'human trafficking' in a tweet" posted yesterday morning. He "blasted the fees that U.S. franchises would have to pay the CBF, which is controlled by the Cuban government and would enrich the communist regime" (USA TODAY, 12/20). L.A. Times' Angel Rodriguez: "I really hope MLB doesn't enter into this agreement. And I would think this would violate the embargo. Cuba can't sell the U.S. tobacco but they can sell us their baseball players?" (TWITTER.com, 12/18).
