Major League Baseball and Cuba struck a deal in December to allow Cuban players to play in the Majors without having to defect from Cuba. Teams would be able to sign Cuban players as free agents, and the deal would make it easier for Cuban players to play in Major League Baseball. This deal, however, was canceled by President Donald Trump in a recent decision. This means that Cuban players, as they’ve done in the past, will need to defect in order to be eligible to play in MLB. There would have been 34 players eligible to become free agents under the deal, but they will now need to defect from Cuba. Many have made the dangerous journey in the past, including Jose Abreu and Aroldis Chapman, and many will continue to make the journey in the future.