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Jeff PassanESPN
The Trump administration overturned the historic agreement reached by Major League Baseball with the Cuban Baseball Federation, claiming that the governing body of the sport was part of the Cuban government and violating US trade laws.
In December, the MLB and MLB Players Association announced the signing of an agreement with the Cuban federation, similar to the one that applies to players under contract with clubs in Japan, from South Korea and Taiwan. An agreement that, according to the league, would end the defection of players and erase human trafficking Cuban players have become the norm as they try to join the MLB.
The Ministry of the Treasury's Foreign Assets Control Bureau sent a letter to the MLB on Friday saying "payments to the Cuban Baseball Federation are not allowed … because a payment to the Cuban Baseball Federation is a payment to the Cuban Baseball Federation. Cuban Government ".
The first group of Cuban players eligible to sign contracts directly with major league baseball organizations has been published by the Cuban Baseball Federation.
The Major League Baseball, its Players' Association and the Cuban Baseball Federation have reached an agreement that will allow players in the island nation to sign big league contracts without making mistakes.
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The letter, obtained by ESPN, underscored the reversal of an Obama-era policy aimed at softening relations between the United States and Cuba.
After the announcement of the deal in December, Blowback in Washington prompted MLB to put forward its argument in favor of the deal in a 10-page letter.
"The goal," said MLB, "is to end the dangerous traffic of Cuban baseball players who wish to play professional baseball in the United States."
MLB requested a meeting with government officials, but no meeting was granted, sources told ESPN.
The letter sent by OFAC to Major League Baseball came immediately after the Cuban Federation published its first group of players able to sign contracts directly with MLB organizations, with the understanding that some of them could play in the United States this year. Players could claim signature bonuses. The player received 100% of his signature bonus and the club gave the Cuban federation exit fees equal to 25% of the signing bonus.
The White House expressed concern on Sunday when John Bolton, President Donald Trump's national security advisor, tweeted, "Cuba wants to use baseball players as economic pawns – selling their rights to Major League Baseball."
In a statement to ESPN, MLB said: "We maintain the goal of the agreement, which is to stop human trafficking of baseball players from Cuba."
The negotiations on the Cuba-MLB deal go back to President Barack Obama's detente with Cuba. This agreement was seen as an effort to eliminate the dangerous traffic that had existed for decades, to which the MLB was referring in its letter to the Treasury and State Departments, with Reds player Yasiel Puig, the first baseman White Sox Jose Abreu and Mets player Yoenis Cespedes among those whose heartbreaking journeys were cited.
"For years, Major League Baseball has been trying to stop the smuggling of Cuban baseball players by criminal organizations by creating a safe and legal alternative for players who want to sign with major clubs in the league," said the commissioner. from MLB, Rob Manfred, in a statement. 19 announcing the transaction. "We are confident that this agreement achieves this goal and will allow the next generation of Cuban players to pursue their dream without the hardships faced by current Cuban players and former Major League Baseball players. "
At the time, opponents of the Cuban government pledged to try to overthrow him. The Trump administration has accused Havana of providing military and intelligence support to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and Bolton said on Twitter: "The US national pastime should not allow the Cuban regime to support Maduro in Venezuela ".
Without agreement, the long-standing policy of players seeking to reside in a third country could return. If players install in a third country, they may request OFAC to receive a specific license to play in the United States. A number of players seeking transportation to a third country were driven by gang-related smugglers and agents familiar with the Cuban gambler market said the dangers that could have been mitigated with the agreement remain.
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