A new work rule signed by President Obama that takes effect on Wednesday will have an impact on Major League Baseball teams' ability to sign Cuban players, specifically on the players themselves.
Under old work embargos, players weren't eligible to be signed with MLB teams until they defected from Cuba and established residency in a different country, a process that sometimes took months or even years. We've even heard harrowing tales, such as Yasiel Puig sitting for weeks under threat of having his arm chopped off by a Mexican drug cartel (we're not kidding).
The New York Times has the full story, but here's a nice glimpse into just how much easier it can be:
“In reading the regulation, it appears to mean that a Cuban baseball player can leave the country Monday and sign a major league contract on Tuesday,” said Matthew Aho, a special adviser on Cuba at the New York law firm Akerman L.L.P. “If M.L.B. and their franchises are assertive in their interpretations of these new rules, it would allow teams to negotiate contracts with Cuban baseball players at any time under U.S. law.”
Again, compare that to years past. A tragic consequence of the old system was human trafficking and this new rule should very quickly make this matter --as it relates to Cuban players defecting for the purposes of playing in MLB -- a thing of the past.
While this will surely lead to many more Cuban players signing with MLB teams, I wouldn't expect a proverbial opening of the floodgates. There will still only be a finite number of players good enough to make it. Those who are, though, will have a much more humane path to success moving forward.
