A Pipeline To Players

Cuban players such as Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman and Chicago White Sox slugger Jose Abreu have quickly become stars in the major leagues, and a thaw in relations between the governments of Cuba and the United States could turn the trickle of talent from the baseball-crazed Caribbean island into a steady stream.

The money has become so great that baseball executives are debating the process by which Cuban players are acquired, currently an auction, is fair to all the teams.

The population of Cuba and the Dominican Republic is similar, about 11 million each, so the Cuban presence in the majors could rise if Major League Baseball teams are allowed to send scouts to the island and ballplayers are allowed unrestricted movement.

As a result, major league teams generally are limited to scouting Cuban players in international tournaments or in workouts held by players who have defected or otherwise left the island.

The Angels expect to spend about $5 million this year to sign players selected in the draft this month.

Cuban players are free agents, once they establish residency in a third country.

A Cuban player with five years experience like Olivera, the infielder who could join the Dodgers any day now is considered a free agent and can sign with any MLB team, at any price.

Cuban players with less experience also are free agents but are subject to MLB restrictions intended to limit spending on Latin American prospects.

The wave of ballplayers leaving Cuba in recent years was triggered not by a thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations but by the reach of technology, according to Joe Kehoskie, a former agent for Cuban players who is a baseball industry consultant.

For decades, players on the Cuban national team were glorified as state heroes, with tournament victors rewarded with huge stories in the state-controlled media, a few extra dollars Puig reportedly was paid $17 a month and a modest upgrade in residence.