Seven Cuban ballplayers are about to write an unprecedented chapter in the history of baseball on the island: Alfredo Despaigne, Yasiel González, José Noroña, Fher Cejas, Andy Vargas, Frank Herrera, and Yankiel Mauris will finalize their agreements with franchises of the China Professional Baseball League (CPB) in the coming days, as confirmed by specialized journalist Francys Romero.
This is the first time that Cuban players will compete in a professional baseball league in mainland China, a milestone directly managed by the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation (FCBS).
The seven players will join the CPB summer tournament, a schedule of 48 games held in Shanghai starting on August 13.
Four of the six teams in the circuit will advance to the postseason, scheduled to start on September 21: Beijing Dragons, Shanghai Orcas, Shenzhen Bluesox, Xiamen Dolphins, Fuzhou Sea Knights, and Changsha Want Want make up the roster of franchises for this expanded edition.
The CPB is a newly established league: it was announced in September 2025, held its first draft in November of that same year, and kicked off its inaugural season on January 1, 2026, with five teams, before expanding to six by summer.
The most prominent name in the Cuban group is Alfredo Despaigne, regarded as one of the most prolific power hitters in modern Cuban baseball.
Despaigne built an extensive career in the Japanese professional league (NPB), where he played for nearly a decade with the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, accumulating over 180 home runs combined with both organizations.
In Cuba, the Granma gardener set the record for home runs in the regular season of the National Series with 35 home runs in 2012, and in March of this year, he was part of the Cuban team in the VI World Baseball Classic.
The FCBS has maintained an active talent export policy throughout 2026, which included Cuba's return to the Caribbean Series held in Caracas at the beginning of the year and the signing of several young players with Major League organizations.
The other six players in the group —González, Noroña, Cejas, Vargas, Herrera, and Mauris— are part of the pool of players that the federation manages for overseas leagues, albeit with a lower international profile than Despaigne.
According to Romero, the agreements are in the final stage, and the inclusion of the seven Cubans in the Chinese tournament is expected in the coming days, just before the start of the summer phase in Shanghai.
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