Cruz: The origins and repercussions of the MLB-Cuba deal
From SABR member Reynaldo Cruz at Universo Béisbol on December 21, 2018:
It has finally happened, the day when we woke up or went to bed hoping it was not a dream. The Cuban Baseball Federation and Major League Baseball have finally worked around an agreement allowing Cuban nationals to sign contracts with big league clubs without having to defect from the Island. Although the document that was inked has not been fully released, we do have hope that it brings an end to the human trafficking and puts Cuban baseball exactly where it should be.
It is not the first time Cuban baseball and American baseball reach an agreement. As far back as 1947, precisely the year Jackie Robinson broke the Color Barrier in Major League Baseball — he first wore a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform in spring training in Havana — , Cuban baseball and Organized Baseball signed a document of cooperation in the wake of Jorge Pasquel’s famous crusade against Major League Baseball and the “jumpers”.
Read the full article here: https://universobeisbol.mlblogs.com/cuba-mlb-the-deal-origins-and-repercussions-d35f419c30d0
Originally published: December 26, 2018. Last Updated: December 26, 2018.