The Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) reported that it will demand the payment of 10 million dollars for “damages” derived from the decision of the pitcher Yariel Rodríguez to unilaterally break his contractual relationship with the Dragones de Chunichi, in the Japan Professional Baseball League (NPB).
The FCB confirmed this Tuesday the news that the right-hander from Camagüey had not joined the Japanese franchise, “with which he has a current employment contract”, according to a note published by the sports portal Hit.
The FCB will demand rights in the case of pitcher Yariel Rodríguez
This is explained in a note from the entity released today tonight. #Cuba #BaseBall #Baseball https://t.co/VjFw01VjDR pic.twitter.com/BRL5TPHLHzl— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) March 29, 2023
In addition, he described the athlete’s determination as “a serious fault” and recalled that he acts as his representative in the pact established between him and the Dragons for the period 2023-2024.
The FCB in its statement also considers that the decision “contradicts the efforts made for Yariel to develop in a high-level league like Japan, and from there to support the Cuban national team,” according to the official communication.
In its note, the organization invoked the letter of the contract, which establishes that “the athlete acknowledges and accepts that compliance with this contract begins from the moment he leaves Cuba for Japan and ends upon his return to Cuba. He also accepts that in case of breach of the contract by him without just cause, at the discretion of the Federation, he may not be hired by any other club or third parties without the express authorization of the Federation… “.
In turn, it refers that in this segment of the document it is established that “in case of abandonment, the FCB will require the figure of 10 million dollars for damages”, a clause by which it will demand “rights and responsibilities”.
However, the note does not clarify whether it would be the player, the team that contracts him in the future, or the Japanese team that is responsible for covering this demand.
Dragons of Chunichi reports
For its part, the Chunichi Dragons management reported Wednesday that attempts to contact the player have so far been unsuccessful.
“We have been in contact with the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) and other organizations, but we do not have precise information,” the official representative of the franchise, Hiroyuki Kato, told reporters gathered at the Nagoya Dome. aforementioned by the agency Latin Press (PL).
The source adds that the issue of contractual guarantees was one of the points in the exchanges held last year between the island’s National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder) and some Japanese professional clubs, with the aim of consolidating baseball cooperation.
However, the Dragons have not advanced their position, nor the steps they will take in response to this situation that leaves them without the services of one of the most reliable relievers in recent NPB seasons and who had joined the club three years ago. years.
In addition, he was the pitcher chosen by the leadership of the Cuban team for the first start in the recent V World Baseball Classic (WBC), in which he impressed with his ability to dominate top-tier hitters with a wide repertoire of pitches and a sustained velocity of over 95 mph.
On Tuesday the journalist francis romerobased in the city of Miami and specialists in issues related to Cuban baseball players in the Major League Baseball (MLB) reported that Yariel had decided to embark on his own path towards a contract with a team on the main American professional circuit.
Yariel Rodríguez breaks with Cuba and begins his path to the MLB
According to Romero’s report, the player was already in the Dominican Republic, with the aim of being declared a free agent, an essential requirement to freely negotiate a future contract, which could reach up to 50 million dollars for five or six seasons, according to experts.
Background
Yariel is not the first Cuban player who decides to break a contract signed with NPB teams, and protected by the island’s federation. He succeeded before Yulieski Gurriel, Héctor Mendoza, José Adolis García, Andy Rodríguez and Oscar Luis Colás.
The case of Colás could be a reference to what could happen in the near future with Yariel. After his decision to break his ties with the Softbank Falcons, team management restricted his options to sign a new contract, something he finally accomplished nearly a year later with the Chicago White Sox in MLB. .
From what has transpired so far, the FCB did not demand any compensation nor is it known to have received it at any time.
