Jacob Ogles
President Donald Trump’s administration may soon rescind recognition of the Cuban Baseball Federation as an organization independent of the Cuban government, according to a report by the McClatchy DC Bureau.
The aim of such an action, reversing a 2016 decision made as then-President Barack Obama sought to normalize relations with Cuba, would be to scuttle a deal between the federation and Major League Baseball.
News of possible intervention by the administration comes days after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio lobbied the president and State department to nix the “one-sided” deal, which he said left players under the thumb of the Cuban government.
Major League Baseball on Dec. 19 announced it had reached an agreement with the federation to allow players to sign with MLB teams without having to flee to nations outside Cuba, something often done through dangerous human trafficking.
But part of the deal involved part of players’ salaries going to the federation, which many U.S. politicians still view as an arm of the communist regime.
The McClatchy report, which cites “an official familiar with discussions,” states the Trump administration will soon reach the same conclusion.
Should the CBF be determined to be under control of the Cuban government, then Major League Baseball would be in violation of the U.S. embargo on Cuba should it follow through with any deal.
Trump’s stance on Cuba has remained complicated since his election in 2016. He’s rolled back some of Obama’s efforts to lift sanctions, last year banning U.S. citizens and businesses from working with entities tied to the Cuban government.
But the current administration has not gone back on all shifts, still allowing certain travel and commerce so long as the aim remains to promote Cubans’ independence from the government.
Rubio this weekend said Major League Baseball can reduce the trafficking of athletes simply by changing its own rules so baseball players don’t need to establish residency in a nation outside Cuba to negotiate contracts.
