After years of sneaking out, Cuban baseball players no longer have to defect to play in MLB

For the first time Cuban players would not be forced to defect to play in the major leagues, now that an agreement has been made that would allow the Cuban government to claim a fee from the MLB team that hires a player.

"The agreement, materialized after three years of negotiations, guarantees a collaborating relationship, stable and not politicized, between MLB and (the federation)," the Cuban baseball organization said.

Previously baseball players who defected were banned by the Cuban government from returning to the island.

Under the new agreement they will retain their Cuban residency and ability to play with the Cuban national league.

In the past, getting to MLB was often a dangerous route for the best players from Cuba, which dominated world amateur baseball for decades.

Two years ago several lawyers who have investigated the Cuban player market talked with CNN Business about how figures in a violent criminal underworld smuggled players to professional teams.

They said MLB was ignoring the situation.

Dan Halem, MLB's chief legal officer, told the Washington Post on Wednesday that Cuban players often had to pay large amounts to get out of their home country.

"Cuban players coming to MLB have been smuggled out by human trafficking organizations that are often tied to other criminal organizations, and often they lose a big chunk of their bonus to pay for their passage out of Cuba," Halem told the Post. "And often, some unsavory characters continue to harass the player or their family if they believe they weren't given the full amount."

He said the agreement doesn't change the way the 30 MLB teams will do business with players.

"Literally the only reason we are doing this agreement is to try to end the trafficking of Cuban players," he said.

The agreement says players from Cuba who are 25 or older and have six years of experience in Cuba's top professional league can be released. An MLB team will have to pay a release fee to the organization for the player, the statement says.

"The contract will contribute to stopping illegal activities like human trafficking that for years have put the physical integrity and life of many talented young Cuban baseball players at risk," the federation said.

CNN's Patrick Oppman reported from Havana, Cuba, and Steve Almasy reported and wrote in Atlanta.

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