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I take it as a very good sign for the island that Cuban defectors to Major League Baseball are allowed to return home:

Cuba allowed Puig and fellow defectors Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox, Brayan Pena of the St. Louis Cardinals and free-agent Alexis Ramirez to return without fear of sanction. In exchange, Dan Halem, baseball’s chief legal officer, and Tony Clark, executive director of the players union, said they were open to a new relationship that could see Cuban players sign directly with major league clubs.

“It is the goal of our commissioner and our owners to ultimately negotiate with the Cuban Baseball Federation, and with the cooperation of the U.S. government and the Cuban government, a safe and legal path for Cuban baseball players who desire to play Major League Baseball to reach the major leagues,” Halem said. “The current system … is not acceptable. But it is going to take the cooperation of the two governments.”

I hope that as Cubans see their sports heroes getting paid for their talent, the rest of the economy will move that way as well.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1QppcfL