Cuba blamed the United States for the growing wave of leaks of baseball players, after confirming the abandonment of six figures from the team to the U23 World Cup in Mexico, a figure that sets a record in the national sport.
«The annulment of the agreement between @CubanaBeisbol and @MLB prevents dreams from being realized by natural means, enabled for the rest of the countries, and stimulates the trafficking of athletes in defense of political interests, unrelated to the well-being and tranquility of the family Cuban, “the Cuban Baseball Federation said in a tweet on Sunday.
Earlier the Sports Institute (Inder) had stated that “each abandonment from the ranks of #BeisbolCubano confirms the cynicism with which the Trump administration annulled the agreement between @CubanaBeisbol and @MLB” and added that this “cruel disadvantage prevents the flow natural to the circuits of that organization.
The Federation pointed out that the recent leaks in Mexico are “concrete expressions” of the cancellation of the agreement and confirmed the abandonment of the team of Diasmany Palacio, Reinaldo Lazaga and Dariel Fernández, who, according to it, “joined those who renounced the commitment contracted.” .
Those new casualties are in addition to three previous ones by pitchers Luis Dany Morales and Ubert Luis Mejías and catcher Loidel Rodríguez.
Now the island squad – adds a victory and a setback in the tournament – were left with only 18 players with three games remaining to complete the qualifying round.
Although in recent years Cuban players have escaped on trips abroad, it is the first massive one in the last two decades.
According to the book “The Dream and the Reality.” Stories of the emigration of Cuban baseball (1960-2018) ”, the stampede in Mexico constitutes a negative record in the history of the defection of Cuban baseball players.
The highest figure recorded so far dates back to 1996, when 5 players from the Industriales team left the squad at the Champions Clubs tournament, also in Mexico.
In December 2018, the Cuban Baseball Federation and the Major Leagues signed a pact, which would allow the island’s baseball players to play in MLB without having to leave their family or their country, but the government of Donald Trump blocked just four months later, and it still stays that way.
After emigrating through different routes, dozens of Cuban players have shone in the Major Leagues for years.
Among the most well-known are Orlando “Duque” Hernández, José Contreras, Kendrys Morales, all already outside the Big Top, and currently others such as José Abreu, Aroldis Chapman, Yulieski Gurriel, José Adolis García and Luis Robert. AFP (HN)