Cuban Baseball 2025 Outlook

What will Cuban Professional Baseball look like in 2025? The Pecos League's interaction with Cuban Baseball was at an all time high with the Houston Apollos being the outside participant in the FepCube Game at University of Miami on January 30, 2024. In 2025 the Pecos League will feature as many as 20 Cubans across its 16 rosters which will be an all time high. The Pecos League history began way before this, they faced Pedro Lazo in Quebec City in a game in 2018 in the CanAm League.For many years Lazo's served as Cuba's number one starter in Olympics, World Baseball Classic and International Events. His number signature number 99 was famous to all that followed Cuban Baseball. Prior to the Cuban Revolution, which saw Castro rise to power in 1959, Cuban-born players often played in the American Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball (MLB). They even hosted the Havana Sugar Kings minor league team.Following the revolution, US/Cuba relations became strained, and Castro ended professional baseball in Cuba and forbade Cuban players to play abroad. From 1959-1991 Cuban Players mainly played with Metal Bats matching their professional players against Amateur players from Japan and Korea using Metal Bats.Omar Linares, Antonio Munoz, Braudilio Vinent were Cuban Legends that never played in Major League Baseball.Orestes Kindelan hit 487 home runs and yet very Americans would recognize any of these players. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba's economy struggled badly and faced severe repercussions from the embargo. Baseball players began to seek careers in MLB due to the high salaries. In 1991, Rene Arocha defected. He was followed by Rey Ordonez in 1993. Rolando Arrojo defected during the 1996 Summer Olympics, which were held in the U.S. The Cuban government treats attempted defectors as disloyal, which led to increased defections. Orlando Hernandez was loyal to Cuba, until he was banned from the national team following the defection of his half-brother, Livan. The largest contract given to a Cuban defector was outfielder Rusney Castillo's seven-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, signed in 2014, worth $72.5 million.First baseman Jose Abreu signed a six-year contract worth $68 million with the Chicago White Sox in 2013.The largest contract given to a pitcher was the $32 million the New York Yankees gave to Jose A Contreras in 2002, while the Cincinnati Reds signed Aroldis Chapman for $30.25 million in 2010. In late 2018, an agreement was reached between MLB, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), and the Baseball Federation of Cuba. The agreement created a legal path for Cuban baseball players to sign with MLB teams without having to defect.[17] However, the Trump administration declared the agreement illegal and revoked it in April 2019. Since then, players have continued to defect, such as Lanzaro Blanco in 2021. Over the last ten years MLB has seen Yaisel Puig, Aroldis Chapman, Yoenis Cespedes, Yordan Alvarez, Adolis Garcia, Randy Arozarena, Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu at the top of the MLB Game. MLB even complied the greatest 12 Cuban Baseball Players ever on their website. Obviously this list isn't accurate with Yordan Alvarez and the Gurriel Brothers not mentioned.Jose Contrereas wasn't on this list either. The most accurate list of Cuban Stars comes from MLB the Show Cuban Rankings In 2025 Cuban Players can freely goto Tampa, Miami or Houston on Southwest Airlines, making them much easier for American Teams to bring them on board.Many Cuban players that can't get signed with MLB are seeking opportunities to showcase themselves for US and Mexico Teams in US Independent Baseball.So when you meet the Cuban Players for the first time, don't be surprised to see them with brand new Victus Bats, state of the art EvoShield Gear and brand new Rawlings Gloves.