Cuban infielder walks away from deal, returns to Cuba (Sources)
Second time in more than 20 years that a Cuban player abandons a contract with an MLB organization.
Marcos Belén Pileta, who was recently signed by the Cleveland Guardians during the current 2024–2025 international signing period, has abandoned his contract and returned to Cuba on Monday, July 21, multiple sources told Beisbol FR.
Belén Pileta, an 18-year-old infielder, was playing with the Guardians in the Dominican Summer League at the Rookie level after signing for $110,000 on January 15.
He returned to Cuba with his mother, and it is confirmed that he will reintegrate into the Cuban baseball system, becoming the second Cuban player to walk away from an MLB organization in the 21st century, after Roberto Hernández, also with the Cleveland franchise, in 2018.
In 27 games this season in the DSL, he was batting .176 with 16 hits in 91 at-bats, 10 RBIs, and 26 walks.
Despite whatever personal reasons the player may have had for leaving everything behind, sources close to the organization confirmed to me that his departure came without a formal goodbye and took place after he had received his signing bonus.
According to sources within the international signing industry, this situation will once again impact the franchise’s overall perception of Cuban talent.
After Roberto Hernández’s contract abandonment in 2018, Cleveland did not sign another Cuban player in the international market until six years later, in 2024, when they added four, one shortstop (Johan Rodríguez) and three pitchers (Miguel Flores, Edelvis Pérez, and Abraham Milán).
He left Cuba in mid-2024 after standing out as a contact hitter in the U-15 and U-18 categories. He trained for several months at Yuan Pino’s academy in Santo Domingo and reached an agreement with the Guardians in November to officially sign on January 15, 2025, as part of the current international signing period.
Belén Pileta will be placed on the restricted list, a measure organizations take to prevent a player from signing with other MLB franchises in the event he hypothetically leaves the island again in the future.
The explosive infielder is expected to join his hometown team, Santiago de Cuba, to play in the 2025 season of the Cuban National Series.
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