MATANZAS, Cuba, Dec 19 (acn) Heriberto Suarez, Cuba's baseball commissioner, said in this city that the clinics could mean the beginning of wider sporting relations between the Cuban Federation of this sport (FCB by its Spanish acronym) and US Major League Baseball (MLB).
The executive noted that the academic exchange, which occurs from last Wednesday, would mean the prelude to address, in the near future, other issues such as legal hiring of Cuban players in the American professional baseball.
It is intended the Cuban players to be treated the same way as the rest of Latinos, which would allow them to play in the MLB without renouncing the Cuban nationality, Suarez stated.
Joe Torre, MLB executive vice-president of baseball operations, said it would only be possible to reach an agreement if the governments of both parties arrive at a consensus, because the sport federations have no power to change the laws.
According to Suarez, the insertion of a Cuban team in the main North American Championship, the visit of the Tampa Bays Rays organization next year and the return of players to the Cuban national team are issues not yet discussed.
The second clinic, at Victoria de Giron stadium, was attended by figures of baseball in the province of Matanzas such as Felix Isasi, Rigoberto Rosique and Evelio Hernandez, along with a representation of children.
A delegation of MLB active players made up by American Clayton Kershaw and Jon Jay, Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera, Dominican Nelson Cruz, and Cubans José Abreu, Yasiel Puig, Brayan Pena and Alexei Ramirez gave prestige to the event.
The exchange between MLB and FCB began last Tuesday with a conference at Nacional Hotel, and continued on Wednesday with the first clinic developed on the grounds of Latinoamericano Baseball Park in the capital.
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