Stephen: An explanation of the new MLB posting agreement with Cuba
From SABR member Eric Stephen at SB Nation on December 19, 2018:
Major League Baseball on Wednesday announced an agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation that fundamentally alters the structure of how Cuban baseball players can join MLB, with a stated purpose of increasing the safety of the players involved.
“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 in a statement.
Cubans have faced harrowing journeys to the United States for years. The stories of defecting baseball players alone have been the stuff of legend. Orlando Hernandez was stranded on a deserted island for several days before reaching America in 1997.
Read the full article here: https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/12/19/18149222/mlb-cuba-posting-agreement-2019
Originally published: December 21, 2018. Last Updated: December 21, 2018.