The Obama administration's progress in re-establishing U.S. relations with Cuba could have a major impact on Major League Baseball, now that a newly implemented rule allows U.S. franchises to sign contracts directly with Cuban players.

New Work Rules for Cubans

The White House announced on Tuesday new measures that permit Cuban nationals to work in the U.S. and encourage Americans to travel to Cuba for person-to-person educational tours. The new guidelines, which went into effect Wednesday, also allow major league teams to sign Cuban baseball players.

Prior to the announcement, the American embargo against the communist island prevented Cuban players from signing to MLB teams unless they defected from Cuba and established residency in another country, like Mexico or the Dominican Republic. This tedious process often took months or even years. It also forced some Cuban citizens to resort to human trafficking in order to get the clearance needed to sign with a U.S. baseball team.

MLB Recruits Cuban Players

However, the new work rule could have a profound effect on the way MLB teams recruit Cuban players. In addition to allowing salaries to be paid directly to players, the rules will likely lead to many more Cubans signing with MLB teams. They also provide Cuban players with a safer pathway to play for the MLB.

As a result, top Cuban players like Yulieski Gourriel and his brother Lourdes Jr., who defected last month, could be eligible to sign with a major American team and play immediately.

"In reading the regulation, it appears to mean that a Cuban baseball player can leave the country Monday and sign a major league contract on Tuesday," said Matthew Aho, a special adviser on Cuba at the New York law firm Akerman LLP. "If MLB. and their franchises are assertive in their interpretations of these new rules, it would allow teams to negotiate contracts with Cuban baseball players at any time under U.S. law."

Cuban Players to Travel Safely

MLB officials are also working with the administration and lawmakers to help establish safe transportation for Cuban players to legally travel between their home country and the U.S.

"It is believed that in some instances, Cuban players have had to endure trying and/or unusual circumstances in order to pursue professional baseball careers," said a senior MLB official. "We want to ensure their safety in those cases. We also want to make it easier for clubs to conduct business with these players and their representatives as the players pursue major league careers."

Previously, Cuban players who came to the U.S. would often risk their lives and sacrifice seeing their families after defecting from Cuba since there was no legal route for them to return home.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive in Havana on Monday for a two-day trip where he will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro and attend an exhibition game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team.

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