List of baseball players who defected from Cuba

Rogelio Álvarez, who debuted in MLB in 1960, was barred from continuing his professional career in the United States, and defected from Cuba through Mexico in 1963.

[1] After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba's economy struggled badly and faced severe repercussions from the embargo.

[5] Players attempting to play in MLB often choose not to defect to the U.S. or Canada, because establishing residency there subjects them to the Major League Baseball draft.

[2][15] Players who defect are often separated from their families,[16] leading to severed relationships, such as between Jorge Toca and the mother of his son.

The agreement created a legal path for Cuban baseball players to sign with MLB teams without having to defect.