Trump Administration nixes MLB/Cuba deal

Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty ImagesThe Trump Administration has rejected an agreement between MLB and the Cuban government, which had allowed Cuban players to sign with MLB teams without first having to defect, Jeff Passan reports.

The agreement was rejected on the basis that the Cuban Baseball Federation is an arm of the Cuban government, and thus, payments to the CBF (which would be provided for under the agreement) “is a payment to the Cuban government,” and is “prohibited unless specifically licensed by [the Treasure’s Office of Foreign Assets Control].”

This is disappointing news on a couple of different levels. First of all, players having to defect in order to play in MLB makes it…