M One still doesn’t quite know exactly what Donald Trump had in mind when he had Nicolás Maduro abducted on January 3. It now seems clear, however, that he did not spend long devising a strategy for what would come after. And surely he did not waste a single second considering what the action would mean for the sport of baseball.
The consequences for the sport, as for many areas of life, could be substantial. The intertwining of MLB with Venezuela runs deep for decades. And the situation in Venezuela could already affect the upcoming season.
So on the morning of January 4, dozens of employees in the offices of the major clubs were on the phones trying to figure out where their players were. No fewer than 63 players of Venezuelan descent play in the MLB, including superstars like José Altuve, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Jackson Chourio.
On January 4, employees of the pro clubs were on the phones trying to figure out where their players are
Nevertheless, the Houston Astros, who had just signed a $125 million contract with Altuve, could be reassured. The second baseman did not go home this winter but stayed in Texas. Ronald Acuña Jr. did play in the winter league for his home club La Guaira, as many Venezuelan pros do. But to the relief of the Atlanta Braves, his Instagram showed him training after Trump’s military action.
The Boston Red Sox were also able to reach their players Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, and Carlos Narváez; they appear to be safe. And the Kansas City Royals players Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia are also unharmed.
Travel restrictions threaten spring training
Thus, most teams can probably expect that their players will be back in the United States at the start of spring training, even though it remains unclear what travel rules between Venezuela and the U.S. will look like by then. There are still massive travel restrictions for Venezuelans to the U.S., with visa requirements reaching up to $15,000. It was only through the intervention of a Republican senator that, in the autumn, a Venezuelan youth team could reach the U.S. via Colombia.
But those may be minor concerns for the long term of the sport. Venezuela, together with the Dominican Republic, is the most important overseas market for the U.S. national pastime. Since the days of the great Luis Aparicio, who with Baltimore won the World Series in 1966, the country has been considered the largest talent pool for the sport in Latin America. At the same time, baseball enthusiasm in Venezuela is so strong that MLB would suffer massive losses without the Venezuelan market.
The baseball relations between the countries, however, have already suffered under Maduro’s government. The numerous baseball academies that U.S. teams there once maintained to cultivate talent had to close. They were replaced by “academies” run by agents who grow their own export goods there. The poverty has meanwhile driven more and more young players into their arms, hoping for the golden ticket. In the vast majority of cases, these hopes are disappointed.
The operation of the Winter League has also suffered, where not only local stars but also American top players used to break the off-season and enjoy the unique atmosphere in Venezuelan stadiums. In recent years, however, the exchange has become increasingly problematic.
One might now hope that things will improve for both sides if Trump, in the future, runs the show, as he puts it. But given that it is likely he has no idea what that would entail, Venezuelan-American baseball relations are unlikely to get better quickly either. Which is a pity for both sides.
