Baseball may be "America's Game," but the bat-and-ball sport is similarly popular in many countries in the Caribbean, including, of course, Cuba. The recent rapprochement between Washington and Havana has now resulted in a goodwill tour to the island on which Major League Baseball and the Players Association have embarked this week.

The trip is led by Joe Torre and Dave Winfield, the chief baseball officer and the players union's special adviser, respectively, the New York Times reported. It marks the first time an official MLB mission is headed to the communist nation since the Baltimore Orioles played an exhibition game against the Cuban national team in 1999.

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred told the New York Daily News that the sport's unique capacity to unite would certainly help bring Cubans and Americans together.

"Baseball represents a pivotal common bond in our cultures, and the impact that Cuban ballplayers have made on our game is undeniable," Manfred said. "I am hopeful that this tour will represent the beginning of a longstanding relationship."

But beyond cultural bonds, the sport and its powerful professional organization could also even make a practical difference in Cuba, Manfred suggested.

"Major League Baseball is very fortunate to have an opportunity to play a constructive role in the improvement of our country's relations with Cuba, and it is particularly pleasing that our sport has a significant number of highly-decorated ambassadors who can make an impression both on and off the field," he explained.

Nevertheless, commercial ties between the MLB and its counterpart, the Baseball Federation of Cuba, are still largely on hold due to the continuing U.S. trade embargo of Cuba, Reuters reported.

Both organizations are hoping that the thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations will help them settle issues surrounding scouting opportunities, as well as regulations of and compensations for player transfers, the newswire detailed.