What does defect mean in baseball? Exploring the various times players like Ivan Prieto have defected to the US

What does the term "defect" mean in baseball? The term is back in the spotlight after Ivan Prieto decided to defect after his team was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic.

After the United States blasted Cuba 14-2 in the quarterfinals of the WBC, the Cuban players flew back to their home country. Prieto, however, opted to stay behind in Miami, Florida.

Defecting refers to leaving one's country behind to play in another illegally. In the past, that was the only way Cuban baseball players like Luis Rober and Jose Abreu could play in the MLB.

A bullpen catcher like Prieto isn't likely to make the majors any time soon, but he's still interested in pursuing a life in the States rather than Cuba.

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Which MLB stars have defected in the past?

To defect from Cuba is a big deal in baseball. This means that the MLB is more important than the country because Cuba makes its players choose one or the other.

Here are some notable MLB stars who defected:

• Jose Abreu
• Danys Baez
• Randy Arozarena
• Yordan Alvarez
• Yoenis Cespedes
• Aroldis Chapman
• Rusney Castillo
• Jose Fernandez
• Adolis Garcia
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
• Livan Hernandez
• Jose Iglesias
• Rasiel Iglesias
• Yasiel Puig
• Luis Robert
• Jorge Soler

Cuba has long been an outlet for the majors.

What does defect mean in baseball?

Now that things are changing and MLB players are allowed to play for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic, the future of defecting might be different, but the tensions between the countries are still prevalent.