The case of Marcos Belén Pileta is another sad chapter that directly affects Cuban baseball players who dream of reaching the MLB. At just 18 years old, Pileta signed with the Cleveland Guardians in January for a $115,000 bonus.
After collecting the money, he played a few games in the Dominican Summer League where he hit just .176, posted a meager .570 OPS and then decided to return to Cuba without giving any explanation to the organization, according to journalist Francys Romero.
Cleveland will place him on the restricted list, which effectively disqualifies him from competing in any serious international league. In other words, he sacrificed his professional future for an irresponsible and unjustified decision. And this isn’t the first time something like this has happened with the Guardians.
In 2018, fellow Cuban Roberto Hernández did exactly the same thing. Two cases, one team. The result: it will become increasingly difficult for a Cuban player to sign with Cleveland. If it was already complicated with 30 teams, now with 29 it will be even worse. Individual actions have collective consequences.