Atlantic League baseball in Cuba?

Today I bumped into an article about Peter Kirk, president of the independent Atlantic League. In an interview Kirk stated that he is interested in placing an Atlantic League team in Cuba. It is not that this idea comes all of a sudden due to the recent diplomatic developments between the USA and Cuba. Two years ago, Kirk wanted to have an exhibition game to be played in Cuba between a Cuban team and a Atlantic League team.

Kirk aldready had a Cuban connection. He was one of the persons that pushed and regulated two exhibition games between the Cuban National team and the Baltimore Orioles in 1999. Back then he owned three of the O’s minor league affiliates. He also owned a sports turf company. Because the stadium in Havana needed to be upgraded for the series, he was the guy to do this. From that period on, he still maintains contacts in Cuban baseball.

There are persons who say that Cuba is too far to house an Atlantic League affiliation, Exactly the same was said about starting an Atlantic League affiliation in the Houston area. But in 2012 the Sugarland Skeeters started as an AL franchise and the team is thriving since. The distance between the nearest team (the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs) is about 1,400 miles. This proved to be no problem for the team. So why should a team in Cuba be a problem. Until 1960, the Havana Sugar Kings were an International League (AAA) affiliate and distance was never a problem.

If the league can expand it’s activities to Cuba remains to be seen. It all depends on the relationship between the USA and CUba. You can also wonder if Cuba will ever allow a professional team to call Cuba home, since the official status of the Cuban league is amateur. Even IF Cuba will allow an Atlantic League team to expand the activities you still have to ask how the team will get players. Will they be non-Cuban players or will the team lure Cubans to play. I cannot imagine that the Cuban league will allow players to jump ships. Maybe that every Cuban League team can “donate” or sell two players.

For now this is all a pie in the sky. But maybe Kirk’s connections with Cuban baseball can do more than we think right now. Maybe an Atlantic League franchise in Cuba can pave the way for an MLB team.

To me this is an exciting thought.