Cuba is a Baseball powerhouse, along with its neighbor The Dominican Republic, and Cuban players have contributed much to the sport’s rich history and storied moments. But their road to the Major Leagues was often fraught with danger until the Obama Administration sanctioned a deal between MLB and Cuba, allowing players to come to the U.S. to play without defecting.
Trump just had to f*** that up.
“The Trump administration on Monday declared illegal a December deal between Major League Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation that would have allowed Cuban athletes to play in this country without having to defect.
The announcement came less than two weeks after the start of the 2019 baseball season, and just days after the federation released the names of 34 Cuban players it said were eligible to sign with Major League Baseball. Some of those players were expected to be signed and playing this year.
The agreement was intended to prevent Cuban players from undertaking risky escapes, often with paid smugglers, from Cuba, and having to give up their citizenship to play in the United States. Under its terms, similar to those with foreign players from Japan and other countries, the U.S. baseball clubs would pay 25 percent of a signing bonus to the federation.
In a statement, league vice president Michael Teevan said: “We stand by the goal of the agreement, which is to end the human trafficking of baseball players from Cuba.”
First decimating the leadership at DHS and now this, are just moves by Mango Unleashed to distract from AG Barr’s sleight of hand with the Muller Report, I am convinced.
Homeland security and baseball.
Sheesh.
Are mom and apple pie safe, asswipe?