CUBA: MLB’s NEXT GREAT TREND

Luis Vazquez

December 18, 2014

The news that the United States has moved to have normal relations with Cuba has been looked at with great interest by the national pasttime. The last great bastion of baseball talent may soon finally get to perform in greater numbers for the first time in MLB.

Should the day come when Cuban players can come to the United States to ply their trade in MLB, the rules of the game may have to be adjusted.

Currently the method used to bring Latin players to the United States is through the draft. But Cuba, with a strong domestic league, which is homegrown, is the pride of the island. Provisions will have to be made how and which players would be considered draftable or free agents.

“The bottom line to all of this is, the situation between MLB and the Cuban baseball federation is a very complicated one. It doesn’t have easy solutions, because MLB wants control of its players, and Cuba wants control of their own players,”

author Pete Bjarkman said.

Also Cuba requires players that are loaned to other countries to return to play in the national league. MLB will most likely not agree with that. But think about the possibilities. On the opening day roster this past 2014 season their was a record 19 Cubans in MLB including stars like Yasiel Puig, Jose Fernandez, Yoenis Cespedes, and Aroldis Chapman.

So in less than five years, baseball’s latest trend may be ready to go, just a few miles south of the Baseball’s promised land.