The Cuban government, through the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), earned more than $2.3 million in 2025 from its players’ contracts in foreign leagues, a revenue flow that highlights the commercialization of sports talent under state control and the questionable priorities in using the funds.
According to official sports journalist Pavel Otero, FCB receives between 10 and 20% for each athlete signed abroad.
This percentage, he emphasized, is not deducted from the players’ salaries but is paid directly to the Fédération by the signing clubs, so that the athletes’ income remains unaffected.
For example, a player who receives $500,000 generates an additional payment to FCB equal to the agreed percentage without affecting his salary.
The breakdown of the $2.3 million raised shows that a predominant portion was used for administrative and operational purposes, with expenses including:
$565,256 for Liga Élite and Serie Nacional apparel.
$297,619 in balls across all categories.
$35,400 for training and referee shoes.
$11,095 in installments for warranties and memberships.
$3,000 for U12 World Cup shoes.
$74,062 for referee uniforms and $7,453 for National Softball Championship uniforms.
$62,577 for wooden bats and $14,222 for protective gloves.
$539,412 for apparel for the upcoming Liga Élite and Serie Nacional, ordered in advance.
$536,900 for airline tickets and logistical expenses from 17 international events.
$119,000 for playing surfaces, equipment and bonuses in Baseball 5.
$210,000 for KENKO balls for children’s baseball.
$98,000 for equipment and equipment for the world-class gym at Estadio Latinoamericano.
There are also outstanding expenses for lighting at four stadiums, additional sports equipment, gyms, batting cages and pitching machines, as well as contributions to other sports with less funding.
This scheme highlights how the regime benefits directly from the international mobility of its athletes, a mechanism that has been criticized as a form of economic exploitation and control over sporting talent.
In 2019 FCB signed an agreement that allows players and coaches to be signed abroadexpressly excluding Major League Baseball (MLB), due to the restrictions imposed by the US administration under the embargo and the fact that the FCB remains part of the state apparatus.
In 2018, a similar treaty signed during the Barack Obama administrationbased on FCB’s presumed autonomy, the signing of Cuban players in the United States.
But that Donald Trump’s administration canceled it months later and argued that the federation was controlled by the state and that contracts with MLB required special licenses from the Treasury.
The US measure was aimed at preventing the Cuban regime from using the players as economic pawns. This statement was supported by officials such as John Bolton and Senator Marco Rubio, who suggested that these contracts amounted to a government “rescue service” of athletes, thereby legalizing what they viewed as human trafficking.
The case highlights a contrast: While Cuban baseball players generate millions for the federation and therefore for the government, direct investment in the social development and living conditions of athletes and citizens is limited. This reflects questionable priorities and a system that puts state revenue ahead of the well-being of athletes.
