Andy Pagés gives Cuba for the classic, while the lack of freedom continues to move away other players

The Cuban Andy Pagés, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, gave the yes to the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) to represent the national team of the island in the next World Casic, confirmed the player to Martí News.

Less than a year at the beginning of the VI edition of the World Baseball Classic, the FCB has started contacts with major leagues players interested in representing the national team. Among them Pagés, who clarified that he could integrate the team, provided that his organization in MLB authorizes him.

The Cuban had expressed interest in being summoned for the previous classic, but his name did not appear on the final list. Now, after its major leagues debut and with more experience in professional baseball, it shows its willingness again to represent Cuba.

Recent reports indicate that Andy Ibáñez and Yoan Moncada, members of the Cuban team in the classic past, would be willing to repeat their participation. To these names is added Ernesto Martínez Jr., a promising initialist Holguinero who could debut in major leagues this year and reinforce the Cuban alignment.

However, while some accept the call of the FCB, other players have made their position clear. Jorge Soler, for example, declared that he will not play for Cuba as long as there is no freedom on the island.

The last classic marked a change for Cuban baseball by including players with contracts in MLB and other professional leagues. The selection was not exempt from controversies, given that decisions about the call followed an already known pattern. In that tournament, Luis Robert Jr., Andy Ibáñez, Roenis Elías and Yoan Moncada wore the Cuban shirt, along with veterans with the past in major leagues such as Yoenis Céspedes and Ooneki García.

The team faced obstacles that went far beyond the pitch, marked by the management of the FCB and the political decisions that have conditioned the development of baseball on the island for years.

Andy Pagés’ rise in MLB

2024 was a key year for Andy Pagés. He debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers and made his offensive capacity clear. His first homer in Major Leagues arrived on April 21, becoming the Cuban number 200 to connect a home run in MLB.

The Pinarño was part of the Angelino team that conquered the World Series. Although he had no action in the final, he shared Clubhouse with figures such as Shhehei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman (MVP of the 2024 World Series), Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts. His achievement places him in a select group of Cubans who have won the World Series in his debut campaign, following the steps of Barbaro Garbey (Detroit, 1984) and Orlando «El Duque» Hernández (New York Yankees, 1998).

During the postseason, Pagés contributed with two homers in the National League Championship Series against the METS, scored three races and promoted four. In the regular season, he participated in 116 games, added more than 35 extrabases (23 doubles, a triple and 13 home runs) and towed 46 races.

The FCB has not yet appointed a director for the tournament, but continues to add names with experience in MLB to build a competitive team. However, the decisions surrounding the Cuban team continue to generate uncertainty and controversy because the call of players continues to depend on external factors that have little to do with the performance in the diamond, a practice that has conditioned the development of baseball in Cuba for decades.