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 The game could set up a rapprochement on the diamond similar to the
way the U.S. and Cuban governments have come together at the
negotiating table.
Commissioner Rob Manfred told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday
that MLB was likely to play an exhibition game in Cuba in early
2016.
Reuters was not able to immediately reach Manfred after business
hours for comment.
A Cuban baseball official said any talks would be dependent on the
outcome of the ongoing negotiations between Havana and Washington.
"That may be their will, but we have not had any conversations.
There is no agreement," said Antonio Diaz, spokesman for the
National Baseball Directorate.
The United States and Cuba are attempting to end more than half a
century of confrontation and restore diplomatic ties, a step that
could lead to normal trade and travel relations.
But serious obstacles remain, including the U.S. economic embargo of
Cuba. U.S. President Barack Obama wants to lift it but needs
approval from the Republican-controlled Congress.
Even if the embargo were lifted, the Communist government in Havana
is highly circumspect about the United States and would have to
agree to any business dealings.
Cuban baseball officials would also want to address the issue of how
its best players are lured off the island illegally, often risking
lives in clandestine sea journeys. Cuba is likely to demand an
orderly regulation of how its players are signed by Major League
teams.
Moreover, Cuban baseball stadiums fall far below the standards of
the Major Leagues, and teams would be hesitant to allow their
players to step onto Cuban fields in their current conditions.
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Still, Manfred said he was hopeful that baseball, the most popular
sport in Cuba, could help with the U.S. government policy change
toward the Caribbean island nation.
"To the extent that we can play a role in helping the United States
government effectuate a change in policy, that we're following their
lead and we're acting in a way that's consistent with what they want
us to do, that's an honor for us," Manfred told the Journal.
He said the most likely time would be spring training of 2016, which
would be the first game of its kind since 1999.
(Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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