It’s not too surprising that MLB wants to get in on the Cuba action now that relations between the United States and its former Communist rival down south have improved under the Obama Administration.
Long seen as a haven of baseball talent, the Cuban problem was in some ways defined by the working conditions of professional players in that nation and the plight of those attempting to head north for a new opportunity in life.
Now that the United States has changed its stance, and Cuba has started to lean towards reforms, the likelihood of an extensive relationship between Cuban and American baseball has started to take hold.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred covered this during an appearance on CNBC last week.
The first point of emphasis in the conversation dealt with American policy towards Cuba and how it might impact baseball’s plans in the not-so-distant future.
We’d like to play some exhibition games there (Cuba) in 2016,” Manfred said. “What we’re really doing is working closely with the federal government trying to figure exactly how the legal framework is going to change. We want to go when it’s consistent, obviously, with federal law and federal policy. But if we could be helpful in terms of the thawing, we’d love to be part of it.”
President Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations back in December. That announcement also came with an agreement to loosen travel and economic restrictions. Then back in January, the two sides began discussions on ending an embargo that has existed since 1960.
Depending on how these talks advance, there’s a solid chance that exhibition games will be played in Cuba next spring. However, baseball itself is secondary here. The sport will follow whatever happens on a larger stage between the two former foes.
If there is a renewed connection between American and Cuban baseball, it would open up a ton of avenues for both nations as well as players in the Communist nation. Anything from a prospect pipeline to an end of Cuban-born players risking their lives to seek refuge in the United States could be on the table.
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