Madrid Spain.- The Association of Professional Cuban Baseball Players (ACPBP) criticized the recent statements by Major League Baseball (MLB) about the possibility of including in the next World Baseball Classic its proposed team to represent Cuba with current and former players one of the oldest who deserted the Island.
“In the last hours, painful news has been known regarding the objectives of the Association of Professional Cuban Players. In a nutshell, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred deceived us, once he promised to hold exhibition games for our independent team against the United States, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, at the Marlins’ park, the weekend before the start of the WBC (World Baseball Classic) in March 2023”, said the ACPBP through a statement shared on its social networks.
The text recalls that two weeks ago the MLB had told them about a “possible momentous announcement that would be made during the All-Star Game, although they asked to remain silent.”
“In reality, Manfred and MLB were negotiating with the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), as confirmed on Cuban TV by its president, Juan Reinaldo Pérez,” the ACPBP denounced.
Just as he condemned Manfred’s complicity “with an entity that is not independent at all and that is simply a sports arm of the Cuban dictatorship.”
“We alert Cuban-American senators and congressmen to the possibility that a new pact between MLB and FCB is in the works, when the conditions that brought down the previous agreement have not really changed. We call on the specialized press and all our loyal followers to echo our complaint. That is the exact opposite of what MLB wanted when it asked us to remain silent,” the statement read.
At the beginning of last June, the Association of Cuban Professional Baseball Players reported that during a meeting with the Major League Commissioner, Rob Manfred, he had understood “the great business opportunity that presents itself with the team of Cuban stars that shine independently and freely in MLB.”
Manfred promised to explore the different avenues to expose Cuban baseball talent on the ground, the ACPBP had assured.
The Association of Cuban Professional Baseball Players was created at the beginning of last March, with the main objective of representing Cuba in World Classics and other top level world events.
The idea arose from the poor performances of Cuban players in recent international tournaments, and the declarations of Cuban players who play abroad who intend to join a unified Cuban team, and thus face other nations. that make up the teams with their best players.
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