New MLB Deal Will Allow Cubans to Sign Baseball Contracts Without Defecting

Thanks to a new agreement between a number of parties, Cuban baseball players will finally be able to sign Major League Baseball contracts without defecting.

A deal that was brokered on behalf of MLB, the league’s players’ association and the Cuban Baseball Federation, the pact allows Cubans to sign under rules similar to those for players under contract to Asia-based baseball clubs.

Running through Halloween 2021, the agreement should eliminate the dangerous trafficking and smuggling of players by gangs which has gone on for decades.

Federation players can sign with big league clubs without leaving Cuba, and the fee paid by the signing team will be covered by the same rules as in MLB’s other posting systems: 20 percent of the first $25 million of a major league contract, 17.5 percent of the next $25 million and 15 percent of any amount over $50 million. Minor league deals have lower fees.

Since the Cuban Baseball Federation will receive compensation for allowing players to leave, the agreement could mean millions of dollars in future income for the organization.

“For years, Major League Baseball has been seeking to end the trafficking of baseball players from Cuba by criminal organizations by creating a safe and legal alternative for those players to sign with major league clubs,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said. “We believe that this agreement accomplishes that objective and will allow the next generation of Cuban players to pursue their dream without enduring many of the hardships experienced by current and former Cuban players who have played Major League Baseball.”