Joe Torre and Dave Winfield will be leading a baseball goodwill tour of Cuba this month.
Major League Baseball and the Players Association said Thursday the Dec. 15-18 trip will include children’s clinics and a charity event.
This is Major League Baseball’s first visit to Cuba since the Baltimore Orioles played an exhibition game against the Cuban national team in 1999. There is the possibility of the Tampa Bay Rays playing a spring training game in Cuba next year.
Commissioner Rob Manfred says “baseball represents a pivotal common bond in our cultures, and the impact that Cuban ballplayers have made on our game is undeniable.” Union executive director Tony Clark hopes the visit starts a “relationship that will only grow stronger.”
Torre is the chief baseball officer and Winfield is the union’s special adviser. They will be joined by current players, a group that has not yet been announced.
Copyright Associated Press
