Major League Baseball (MLB) recently confirmed that it has entered into an agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation (CBF) that will allow Cuban baseball players to officially sign contracts with MLB franchises and no longer risk their lives by defecting and trying to get to America.
Cuba has been a great breeding ground for young baseball talent and players have always set their sights on coming to America and signing with a top franchise. They have resorted to human trafficking to achieve this goal for a number of years and put themselves at risk.
They will no longer have to do this thanks to the current agreement with the MLB, CBF and the MLB Player’s Association (MLBPA) which is valid till 2021. The terms of the agreement are similar in many ways to the agreements that the MLB has with clubs in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Should any disputes arise between the MLB and the CBF, it will be addressed by the International Chamber of Commerce.
CBS Miami
Tony Clark, the director of the MLBPA said that they were happy with the new agreement as it would put an end to the dangerous system of smuggling Cuban players into America. Clark said that setting up a legal and safe system for Cuban players to come to American and play in the MLB was a major goal for the MLBPA and it would now ensure the well-being of all Cuban players.
The CBF will also gain millions of dollars from this new agreement which only covers baseball players who are contracted to the CBF. Cuban players are now eligible to sign deals with MLF franchises from Cuba and no longer need to make their way into America to do so.
Cuban players who are currently signed to the MLB were very happy to learn of the new agreement. Many of these players know first-hand the hardships and dangers of defecting and making their way to America. Some of them have had to deal with drug and human traffickers and put their lives at risk trying to cross the high seas with rickety boats and small rafts.
In a statement, Jose Abreu, an All-Star for the Chicago White Sox said
Words cannot fully express my heartfelt joy. Dealing with the exploitation of smugglers and unscrupulous agencies will finally come to an end for the Cuban baseball player. To this date, I am still harassed.
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