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Raicel Iglesias Defects From Cuba
NOV. 19: Iglesias has now established residency in Mexico, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The next step in his process will be gaining clearance from the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and from Major League Baseball to sign with MLB teams.
NOV. 6: The number of recent Cuban defectors continues to grow, as reports from Diario de Cuba and the Havana Times have indicated that right-hander Raicel Iglesias has successfully defected from the country. Ibrahim Rojas of CMHS Radio Caibarién tells MLBTR that Iglesias is currently in Mexico.
Iglesias, 23, was detained on his first attempt to defect after running out of food and water while hiding in the mountains. In his second effort, which reportedly took place on Oct. 9, he successfully fled the country by sea. Iglesias is said by Ben Badler of Baseball America to possess a 92-95 mph fastball with a swing-and-miss breaking ball but questionable control. Badler feels that Iglesias would likely have to begin his pro career in the U.S. by starting in the minor leagues.
Because Iglesias is 23 years old and has more than three years of professional experience, he can sign for any amount and will not count against a team's international signing pool.
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