Alayn Daniel Blanco, an 18-year-old right-handed pitcher born in Matanzas, left Cuba and arrived in the Dominican Republic in search of signing a contract with a Major League organization, according to reporter Francys Romero at the beginning of this week.
Blanco, who stands 6 feet 4 inches tall, is already registering pitches over 90 miles per hour during his workouts in Santo Domingo, where he trains under coach Pedro Luis García. This speed is considered the minimum threshold to compete in Major League Baseball.
The departure of the young man from Matanzas is the second escape of a Cuban prospect reported in October and the third in less than 30 days.
Before him, the 15-year-old pitcher Carlos Adrián Hernández, who was part of the Cuban pre-selection that participated in the Under-15 World Cup held in Mexico, arrived in the Dominican Republic at the beginning of October to begin his training.
At the end of September, it was also confirmed that Leandro Forteza García, a 19-year-old pitcher from Sancti Spíritus, was the eighth member of the Cuban U-18 team that competed in the World Cup in Japan in 2025 to leave the island.
The exodus is not limited to the last few months. In July, 17-year-old Richard Bouquet from Holguín left Cuba to join the Bailli Baseball academy in the Dominican Republic. In May, Luis Manuel Hurtado from Villa Clara did the same, and in September, the 15-year-old catcher Enrique Tejera followed suit.
The Cuba-Dominican Republic route has become the preferred path for young ballplayers because it allows them to establish residency in a third country, meet eligibility requirements as international free agents, and negotiate with MLB clubs without the restrictions of the Cuban system.
Behind every departure lies the structural crisis that the regime has been unable to halt. Salaries in the Serie Nacional barely reach 3,500 Cuban pesos—equivalent to just over five dollars a month—while a carton of eggs can exceed 4,300 pesos. The 2025-2026 season was reduced from 75 to 44 games due to a lack of fuel and transportation, and the system suffers from severe shortages of basic materials such as balls, gloves, and uniforms.
The international results reflect a decline. In the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Cuba did not qualify for the second round after achieving two wins and two losses, marking its worst historical performance in the tournament. In the Premier 12, the national team dropped from sixth place in 2015 to second to last — eleventh — in 2024.
It is estimated that of the more than 1,000 athletes who have left the island in the last decade, at least 700 are young baseball players with potential. In the 2025-2026 international signing period, more than 40 Cuban baseball players signed contracts with MLB organizations.
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