The Defection Era Of Cuban Baseball Players In Reds History

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The Defection Era

Tony Menendez was born in Cuba but debuted with the Reds in 1992 after attending high school at the American High School in Miami, Florida. He pitched the first of his three games with the Reds on June 22 at the age of 27. He was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA over 4 ⅔ innings.

Osvaldo Fernandez was a member of the Cuban national team that won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. On July 29, 1995, Fernández defected when Cuba played the United States in Millington, Tennessee. He signed as a free agent with the Reds in February 2000. Fernandez started a total of 28 games in 2000 and 2001. He was 9-9 with a 5.26 ERA.

Yonder Alonso was born in Havana in 1987 and settled in Miami after his father Luis and mother Damarys defected to the US in 1996. His father coached the Industriales in the Cuban National Series. Alonso graduated from Coral Gables High School and took a baseball scholarship with the University of Miami baseball team. The Reds drafted him with their first pick in the 2008 draft. Alonso broke in with the Reds in the 2010 season. He played in 98 games in 2011 and hit .330 with five home runs. Joey Votto was the Reds’ first baseman and the Reds attempt to move Alonso to left field just didn’t work out. The Reds packaged him and fellow Cuban born, Miami player Yasmani Grandal for Mat Latos of the San Diego Padres. Alonso played 10 years with seven teams and hit .259 with 181 doubles and 100 home runs. Alonso embarked on a new career as an analyst for the MLB Network.  

Yasmani Grandal was the Reds first round pick in the 2010 draft but broke into the Major Leagues with the San Diego Padres in 2012. Grandal was born in Havana, Cuba, where he played shortstop and third base on a junior national team.[ He entered the US through a lottery system with his mother, stepfather, and maternal grandparents at age 10 through the lottery system. He entered the United States in July 1999 and became a United States citizen five years later.

Brayan Pena, a catcher, was born in Havana in 1982. He was a member of the Cuban National Junior team. He entered the US in 1999. Pena signed with the Reds as a free agent in November 2013. He caught 115 games in 2014 and 108 in 2015. The switch hitter hit .253 and .273 respectively. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent in November 2015.

Raisel Iglesias was born in 1990.  In September 2013, Iglesias attempted to defect from Cuba. He hid in the mountains of Isla de la Juventud, his home town, but was caught and was detained. In November of that same year, Iglesias successfully defected from Cuba. He established his residency in Haiti before holding an open tryout in Mexico in December 2013. The  right hander, signed with the Reds as an amatuer free agent in June 2014. He started 16 big league games in 2015. Iglesias was the opening day starter in 2016 but only made four more starts before moving to the bullpen. Iglesias pitched in 274 games in six seasons with the Reds. He had an 18-32 record and a 3.15 ERA. Iglesias saved 106 games before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels after the 2020 season.

Jose Iglesias born in Havana, one day after Raisel, he also defected from Cuba. With pitcher Noel Argüelles, Iglesias left the Cuban junior national team while in Canada in July 2008. Iglesias signed as an international amateur free agent with the Boston Red Sox in September 2009. He signed with the Reds as a free agent on February 23, a week into spring training. The Reds moved Jose Peraza to second base. Iglesias played in one season. He played 146 games, hit .288 with 21 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs and 59 RBI. He signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles the next January. Iglesias played for the New York Mets last season and is currently a free agent.

Yasiel Puig defected from Cuba in 2012 and signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Dodgers. He made his MLB debut on June 3, 2013. That season, Puig hit .319 in 104 games with 19 home runs, and was selected by Baseball America to their annual "All-Rookie team". The following season, he started in the All-Star Game. The Dodgers traded Puig to the Reds before the 2019 season, and the Reds traded Puig to the Indians at the 2019 trade deadline. Longtime Dodgers broadcaster, Vin Scully, called him the “Wild Horse” and it fit the loud, emotional temperament that was difficult to manage. He played 100 games with the Reds, he hit .252 with 15 doubles, a triple, 22 home runs and drove in 61 runs.

The last two are the beginning of the modern era where leaving Cuba is not the hazard it once was. Getting Visas from the current US government is the bigger problem.

Jose Barrero is a 27-year old Havana native. He changed his name from Garcia to honor his mother who died of COVID in 2020. The Reds signed him as an international free agent in 2017. He was once a top prospect for the Reds. Barrero played 2019 with the Low-A Daytona Tortugas, appearing in 104 contests and batting .280/.343/.436 with eight home runs, 55 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League. The Reds invited Barrero to Spring Training in 2020,] but he was not immediately assigned to an affiliate after the minor league season was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He played 24 games in 2020 and 21 in 2021. He was set to make a bid to open the season with the Reds but Barrero would miss at least six weeks with a hamate injury in his left hand/wrist. He made his season debut on August 3. On August 6, Barrero hit his first major league home run off of Milwaukee Brewers starter Aaron Ashby. The two-run shot was part of a two-homer, three RBI game (the second homer coming off of Hoby Milner). In 48 games for the Reds, he slashed .152/.195/.206. Barrero was in the opening day lineup in 2023 but was optioned to Louisville in mid-June hitting .218 with two home runs. He resurfaced with the Cardinals last season but he was granted free agency in June and signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

Yosver Zulueta, the only current Cuban national on the Reds roster, was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in June 2019. The Reds claimed off waivers in March 2024 because Toronto could no longer protect him. The 27-year old has been up and down with the big club the last two seasons mostly to cover for injuries or over use. He has pitched in 19 games combined the last two seasons, logging 23 ⅔ innings with a 5.32 ERA. He won his only Major League decision with ⅔ innings of scoreless relief on September 1 when the Reds rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth against Toronto.

Cuban Baseball Intersects With Reds' History

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Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

The Reds released the 2026 spring training schedule that includes an exhibition game against the Cuban National team on March4 before the Cuban team opens the World Baseball Classic in Puerto Rico on March 5.

The Cuban national team has always been a top contender in international baseball competition. The Major Leagues boasted 26 players on major league rosters in 2025, the most ever from the island and more than the previous high of 23 in 2016.

Two Cubans played in the 2025 World Series. Outfielder Andy Pages for the Dodgers and Yariel Rodríguez a right handed pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cuban Players History

There are three distinct periods for Cubans who longed to play in the Major Leagues. 

The early 1900’s when Major League owners barred black players from participating. Several players from the Negro Leagues tried to get around it by claiming Cuban citizenship. Satchel Paige famously tried this angle.

The pre Castro ERA in the mid 1950’s through the revolution in 1960.

The defection era Castro’s pride in baseball played on the island allowed Cuban teams to compete internationally. It led to players abandoning their teammates and their families.

The Cuban Work Around the Color Line

Adolfo “Dolf” Luque pitched for the Reds in the 1919 World Series against the Chicago White Sox. He pitched five scoreless innings with no walks and six strikeouts in the series, (known for the Black Sox scandal. Eight Chicago players were bribed by gamblers to throw games.) Luque is in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. He led baseball with 27 wins and a 1.93 ERA in the 1923 season. Luque won 154 games for the Reds in 12 seasons. 

Mike Gonzalez, a catcher who played for the Reds in 1914. He hit .333 in 95 games for the Reds and managed the Havana Reds in the Cuban winter leagues.

Manuel Cueto played in 151 games for the Reds in three seasons from 1917 through the 1919 World Championship season, in which he hit .250 in 29 games.

Rafael Almeida played in a total of 102 games for the Reds at third base from 1911 through 1913 with a .270 batting average with three home runs. He also hit six triples.

Pedro Dibut, a right hander pitched in parts of 1924 and 1925. He started in two of his nine appearances with a 3-0 record and 2.21 ERA. He pitched to three batters on April 22, 2025 and never pitched another Major League game.

The Havana Sugar Kings Pipeline

The Reds have always been strapped for cash. With the reserve clause and few roster limits, the team looked to Cuba for players. Branch Ricky had more minor league teams than the Reds had funds. The New York Yankees could outbid everyone for amatuer players and stock pile them. It was a practice that shut out poor teams from signing talent. It also kept players who deserved to be in the Major Leagues a chance to compete.

The Sugar Kings began life in 1946 as the Havana Cubans, founded by Washington Senators scout Joe Cambria. That year, they (rather than a Cuban League side) represented Cuba at the inaugural Interamerican Series, the predecessor to the modern Caribbean Series.

Roberto "Bobby" Maduro bought the team during the 1953 season with aspirations of bringing Major League Baseball to Havana. After the 1953 season, the Springfield Cubs folded, leaving an opening in the Triple-A International League. Maduro moved his franchise to the IL and renamed it the Sugar Kings. After playing the 1954 season as an independent club, the franchise signed an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds for the 1955 season and the Sugar Kings became Cincinnati's top farm club for the remainder of their existence. When Castro nationalized businesses in Cuba, Maduro moved the team to Jersey City.

Tommy de la Cruz pitched in 34 games, 20 starts in 1944. He had a 9-9 record with a 3.25 ERA. De la Cruz's big break was World War II. On September 16, de la Cruz pitched a one-hitter, the first ever pitched in the major leagues by a Latin American pitcher—against the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 2–1. 

Leo Cardenas, the Reds shortstop from 1960 through 1968, had a double in three at bats against the New York Yankees in the 1961 World Series. He still lives in Cincinnati today and at the age of 86, the native of Matanzas Cuba, attends Reds events. He played for the Sugar Kings before playing for the Reds. Cardenas was a National League All-Star in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968. He hit 20 home runs in 1966 and had a career-high .287 batting average in 1965.  

Tony Perez, a key player for the Big Red Machine, is the only Cuban native in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He immigrated to the United States in 1960 and played in the Reds minor leagues along with Pete Rose and Tommy Helms. He made his debut with the Reds on July 26, 1964 and played for 16 seasons with the Reds. Perez, known as “Doggie" or the “Big Dog” was an All-Star seven times, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975 and 1976. He was the All-Star MVP in 1967. Perez finished third in the National League behind teammate Johnny Bench and the Cubs Billy Williams in 1970. That season he posted career-highs with a .317 batting average, 40 home runs and 129 RBI.

The native of Camaguey, Cuba, played in four World Series with the Reds, hitting three home runs in the 1975 World Series win against the Boston Red Sox, including the key home run in game seven that put the Reds on the scoreboard in a 3-0 game the Reds eventually won. 

Perez left Cincinnati after that season and played for the Montreal Expos, the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies (he played in the 1980 WS) before returning to the Reds in 1984 to finish his playing career on October 5, 1986. He coached first base for the Reds and was the Reds’ manager for 44 games in 1993. His son Eduardo played three seasons for the Reds.

Mike Cuellar joined the Reds from the Sugar Kings in 1959. His three brothers worked in the sugar fields. Cuellar joined the Army, allowing him to play baseball on weekends. He pitched two games with the Reds in 1959. He pitched four innings in two games and allowed seven runs. The Reds lost track of him and he struggled playing minor league baseball in Nicaragua and Mexico for five years, Teammate Ruben Gomez taught him to throw a screwball and he resurfaced in 1964 with the Cardinals. They traded him to Houston, who dealt him to Baltimore where he became a star. Starting in 1969 Cuellar won 23,24,20,18,18 and 22 in straight seasons. His 24 wins and 40 starts in 1970 led the majors. He completed 172 games over 15 years.

Miguel de la Hoz played in one game for the Reds in 1969 after being a starter for the Cleveland Indians and a utility player for the Braves in Milwaukee and Atlanta.

Tony Gonzalez broke in with the Reds in 1960 as part of the Havana Sugar Kings pipeline along with Cardenas, Cuellar and Perez. He played 39 games with the Reds in 1960 before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Wally Post, who was a key player for the 1961 Reds.

Vicente Armor, a right hander, broke in with the Chicago Cubs in 1955. He appeared in four games for the Reds, starting four of them. He had a 1-2 record with a 5.92 ERA. Amor started four games for the Reds in 1957. 

Raul Sanchez pitched for the Reds in 1957 and 1960. He appeared in 46 games over those two seasons, all in relief.

Danny Morejon played 12 games for the Reds in the outfield in 1958. He hit .190.

Orlando Pena started his 14-year career with the Reds in 1958. In his three seasons with the Reds, Pena was 6-10 with a 4.27 ERA in 59 games. He appeared in 427 big league games with eight teams. Pena started 93 games. He had a career 3.27 ERA and a 56-77 record. He also saved 40 games.

Rogelio Alvarez played first base for the Reds in 17 total games during the 1960 and 1962 seasons. He hit .189.

Joe Azcue broke in with the Reds in 1960. He caught in 14 games for the Reds that season and hit .097. The Milwaukee Braves purchased his contract that winter and traded him to the Kansas City Athletics where he started a 10-year career in the American League in 1962. He played seven seasons in Cleveland.

Hiraldo Sablon “Chico” Ruiz started his career with the Reds in 1964. He played a utility role with the Reds and famously said, “bench me or trade me,” in jest after he started  64 games of his career-high 105 to cover injuries to Tommy Helms, including 31 in a row. In his six seasons with the Reds through 1969, Ruiz hit .239 in 466 games. Ruiz stole home with Frank Robinson at bat to beat the Philadelphia Phillies on September 21. It was the only run in a 1-0 game. Ruiz was on third base with two outs in the sixth inning after a single by Vada Pinson. Pinson was thrown out at second trying for a double. He stole home. Robinson had no idea he was coming. Robinson grounded out to end the inning. The game was the second win in a nine-game winning streak that saw the Reds erase a 6 ½ game lead to take over the NL lead from the Phillies on September 27. 

Camilo Pascual was a 20-game winner for the Minnesota Twins in 1962 (20) and 1963 (21). He pitched in five games for the Reds in 1969 with one start.

Pedro Ramos pitched for the franchise that was the Washington Senators in 1955 and moved to Minnesota to become the Twins in 1961. Ramos led the American League in losses from 1958 through 1961. He had a high of 20 losses in 1961. Ramos pitched for the Reds in 38 games in 1969. He was 4-3 with a 5.16 ERA. He also saved two games. The Reds were the only team among the six that he played for which he had a winning record. Ramos lost a total of 160 games while winning 117 in his 15-year career. However, he logged 2,355 ⅔ innings, including the 66 ⅓ in a Reds’ uniform. He led the American League in hits allowed, 277 and runs allowed 222 in 1958.

Infielder Cookie Rojas played for the Sugar Kings in 1959. He also started the season with them but left Havana after Castro took over in January of that year. Rojas was with the team when it moved to New Jersey.. He broke in with the Reds in 1962, joining the defending National League champions. Rojas hit .229 in 39 games for the Reds. Rojas was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Jim Owens in November. He played for the Phillies, Kansas City Royals and briefly with the St. Louis Cardinals over a 16-year career. Rojas played in 1,822 games and had a .263 career average. In 1988 after a long stint as a coach at Kansas City, he managed the California Angels and had a 75-79 record before he was fired. Rojas managed the Florida Marlins for one game in 1996 between Rene Lachemann and John Boles. He won that game.

Reds Spring Training Tickets Go On Sale December 12

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Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

Reds 2026 Spring Training tickets on sale tomorrow

Cactus League games start February 21 at Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona

Single-game tickets for Cincinnati Reds Spring Training home games will go on sale Friday, Dec. 12, at Noon EST (10 a.m. MST) at reds.com/spring. 

reds.com/spring

The Reds open 2026 Cactus League play on Saturday, Feb. 21 vs. the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark.

The Reds are scheduled to play 17 games at Goodyear Ballpark, including a World Baseball Classic exhibition vs. Cuba and two games as the visiting team against the Guardians. 

Highlights of the 2026 season at Goodyear Ballpark: 

• Opening Day - Saturday, Feb. 21 vs. Cleveland Guardians (2026 Schedule Magnet)

• Monday, March 2 vs. Chicago Cubs 

• Wednesday, March 4 vs. Cuba (World Baseball Classic exhibition) 

• Thursday, March 5 vs L.A. Dodgers 

• Tuesday, March 17 vs. Cleveland (St. Paddy’s Day Pint Glass)

• Sunday, March 22 vs Cleveland (Ace Stress Ball/Fan Appreciation Day)

For the full spring training schedule and additional details on Single-Game Tickets, Season Ticket Packages, Mini Plans and Group Tickets, visit GoodyearBP.com or reds.com/Spring.

Schedule and promotions are subject to change. 

Reds Retain Emergency Closer

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Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

Emilio Pagan re-upped with the Reds on Thursday.

Pagan took over as closer by default last season. Reigning closer, Alexis Diaz, was hurt in spring training and ineffective when he recovered. Diaz was eventually traded to the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Pagan became a free agent at the end of the season and decided to come back rather than maximize his paycheck. 

"Yeah, I mean, (I'm) super excited. And, yeah, pretty easy, pretty easy choice to come back. I like everything that we got going on here, and so I knew this is where I wanted to be," Pagan said. "Making the playoffs, I mean, obviously it played a factor, you know, the same way it did when I signed here after the 23 season. You know, I've said this a few times, I'm a baseball fan, and so during that 23 season, you saw these young guys come up, and I'm watching highlights every night, and it seemed to kind of consistently be Red's highlights there for a long stretch of that summer. And now, having been here with these guys. I mean, they've turned into some of my best friends. I talked to these guys every day. For the most part, I'm talking to somebody on this team checking in, talking smack about fantasy football, all kinds of stuff. And so, you know, I knew this is where I wanted to be. And I think, I think last year was just scratching the surface of what what we can become."

Pagan had his most impactful seasons of his career. He finished second in the National League and tied for fifth in Major League Baseball with 32 saves. It was one of the career highs he set this year. He also pitched in a career-high 70 games and finished a career-high 56 games. His previous high was 20 saves with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019.

Pagan was the hero of the game against the Cleveland Guardians on May 18. Pitching in his third day in a row, Pagan nailed down a 3-1 win by navigating the middle of the Guardians lineup with tying runs on base. Pagan saved all three games of that series sweep.

His performance as an emergency closer made him a high demand commodity in the free agent market.

"It (free agency) kind of started a little bit faster. That was really the only difference. I mean, we had, you know, a lot of interest last time, but it took a little bit to kind of get going. And, you know, we got a lot of phone calls early, and I'm thankful for those." Pagan said. "Anytime a major league team is calling you and showing interest in you. Like, it's a humbling experience, you know, like, I've worked my whole life to play baseball at the major league level, and so I'm grateful for those teams that we're calling but, you know, again, I was pretty straightforward with my agent. You know, this is where me and my family wanted to be. And so for me, it was, it was always going to kind of come back to this place, and, you know, I was hopeful that we could get something worked out, and I'm glad that we did."

The 34-year old signed a $20 million contract for two years. It was an important signing in light of the free agency of Scott Barlow, Brent Suter and Nick Martinez. The Reds also granted free agency to Carson Spiers.

"I said this at the end of the year too, and might have shot myself in the foot a little bit, but, like, I don't play, I don't play baseball because of the money." Pagan said. "Like, the money is great and it provides a lot of things that I can do in my life, for my family and for other people. But, you know, I wasn't that concerned with the market, to be honest. You know, I do owe a little bit to the game and to, you know, future players."