Earlier today, President Barack Obama indicated that he wanted the United States to normalize relations with Cuba, and to try and end the embargo that has been placed on the country. This new position obviously has great implications for many people, and is very far reaching. While nowhere close to the most important group affected, one minor effect of a change in the relationship would certainly affect baseball players in Cuba, and Major League Baseball.
Cuban players such as Jose Abreu and Yasiel Puig are excelling in the Major Leagues today after defecting from their home country. These defections often include horror stories of being smuggled out of the country under the cover of darkness, and taking very difficult and dangerous routes off the island. They sometimes also include the involvement of some nefarious characters. According to a stunning Los Angeles magazine report which was published in April, Puig was held hostage in a Mexican motel room by smugglers who threatened to cut off parts of his body with machetes, before he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Better democratic relations which would provide Cuban baseball players to ply their trade in the majors without having such a difficult and scary road to reach the majors would certainly be beneficial for the game and the players. Now while we stress that this isn’t the most important aspect of today’s announcement, it is one that exists in relation to baseball.
Recognizing that, Major League Baseball issued the following statement this afternoon regarding the President’s announcement on United States relations with Cuba:
“Major League Baseball is closely monitoring the White House’s announcement regarding Cuban-American relations. While there are not sufficient details to make a realistic evaluation, we will continue to track this significant issue, and we will keep our Clubs informed if this different direction may impact the manner in which they conduct business on issues related to Cuba.”
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