Cuba Baseball Sanctions

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to formally reimpose restrictions on the participation of Cuban baseball players in Major League Baseball (MLB), according to a leak obtained by journalist Daniel de Malas, press chief of the Cuban Professional Baseball Federation in Exile (FEPCUBE).

According to the leaked document, the U.S. government will suspend the 2018 agreement between MLB and the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), which was previously halted by the Trump administration in 2019. That agreement had allowed Cuban athletes to sign with MLB teams without defecting. The latest policy change reportedly aims to eliminate what administration sources described as the “trafficking of Cuban ballplayers” coordinated by the Cuban government’s National Institute of Sports (INDER).

The revised measures would require any Cuban national seeking a contract with a Major League organization to submit a sworn affidavit affirming permanent residency outside Cuba, with no intent to return. Additionally, prospective players must certify that they are not government officials or members of the Cuban Communist Party and that they are not acting under coercion. These requirements fall under Section 505 of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), which governs U.S. sanctions on Cuban entities and individuals.

“The exportation and exploitation of ballplayers organized by the government has come to an end,” stated the independent baseball media outlet Swing Completo via social media.

While the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) have not yet confirmed the policy shift, the leak signals a renewed effort by the Trump administration to tighten sanctions enforcement related to Cuban state institutions, including in the sports sector.

If implemented, the policy would significantly complicate the path for Cuban players to join U.S. teams, requiring clear evidence of political and geographic dissociation from the Cuban government. The move marks another step in dismantling prior efforts to facilitate formal engagement between Cuban baseball authorities and U.S. professional leagues.