MLB, union, Cuba reach agreement on signing players

HAVANA — Major League Baseball, its players' association and the Cuban Baseball Federation reached an agreement that will allow players from the island to sign big league contracts without defecting, an effort to eliminate the dangerous trafficking that had gone on for decades.

The agreement, which runs through Oct. 31, 2021, allows Cubans to sign under rules similar to those for players under contract to clubs in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

“For years, Major League Baseball has been seeking to end the trafficking of baseball players from Cuba by criminal organizations by creating a safe and legal alternative for those players to sign with major league clubs,” baseball commissioner

said in a statement Wednesday. “We believe that this agreement accomplishes that objective and will allow the next generation of Cuban players to pursue their dream without enduring many of the hardships experienced by current and former Cuban players who have played Major League Baseball.”

Depending on the quality of future players, the agreement coultd mean millions of dollars in future income for the cashpoor Cuban federation, which has seen the quality of players and facilities decline in recent years as talent went overseas.

Only players under contract to the Cuban federation are covered by the agreement, and the Cuban federation agreed to release all players 25 and older with at least six years of professional experience. They would be classified as international professionals under MLB's labor contract with the players' association and not subject to international amateur signing bonus pools. In other baseball news: • Catcher James

McCann and the Chicago White Sox have finalized a $2.5 million, one-year contract.

• Cleveland Indians righthander Cody Anderson has avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract for $641,250.