Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that the Tampa Bay Rays will make a three-day trip to Cuba from March 20-22, and will play the Cuban National Team in an exhibition game on Tuesday, March 22nd at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana during the trip to the island nation. Before that, however, the team will kickoff the Grapefruit League season against the Washington Nationals in Port Charlotte.
Rays headed to Cuba March 20-22
Per an MLB press release:
The Tampa Bay Rays will play the Cuban National Team in an exhibition game on Tuesday, March 22nd at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana during an historic trip to the island nation, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) officially announced today. This will be the first visit to Cuba by an MLB franchise since the Baltimore Orioles played an exhibition game against the Cuban National Team on March 28, 1999.
ESPN and ESPN Deportes will provide live, national coverage of the game. In addition, ESPN’s SportsCenter will have an on-site presence in Havana on March 21st-22nd. The game will also be streamed via WatchESPN.
Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said: “Major League Baseball is excited to play in Cuba and to have the Tampa Bay Rays representing our 30 Clubs. During a time of historic change, we appreciate the constructive role afforded by our shared passion for the game, and we look forward to experiencing Cuba’s storied baseball tradition and the passion of its many loyal fans.”
MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said: “The Players on the Tampa Bay Rays are looking forward to visiting Cuba and playing in front of some of the world’s most passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans. We thank the Cuban National Team and all involved in hosting this game, as we are very excited to return to Havana to continue our efforts to strengthen the ties between our countries through our love and passion for the game of baseball.”
Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg said: “The Rays are extremely proud to represent Major League Baseball on a trip that will be so memorable and significant for two countries that revere our great sport. Our franchise will be privileged to visit Cuba, to share the field with its National Team and to embody the goodwill of our game.”
The exhibition game between the Rays and the Cuban National Team marks another milestone celebrating the shared passion for the game of baseball between the United States and Cuba. MLB and the MLBPA participated in a goodwill tour of Cuba from December 15th-18th, 2015. The tour included four days of children’s clinics and charitable events. The trip featured Cuban-born Major Leaguers Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox, Brayan Peña of the St. Louis Cardinals, Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers and shortstop Alexei Ramirez of the San Diego Padres, as well as two-time American League Most Valuable Player Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, All-Star Nelson Cruz of the Seattle Mariners, Jon Jay of the Padres and three-time National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. As a part of the shared trip, MLB and the MLBPA made a joint $200,000 donation to Caritas Cubana, the U.S.-based, non-governmental provider of humanitarian, social and emergency services to Cuba.
While Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn will not join on the trip to Cuba, Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) tweeted that St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman will be among the officials attending the ballgame.
St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman also among officials expected to attend #Rays game in Cuba.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 1, 2016
The New What Next
Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg was in town Tuesday afternoon in advance of Wednesday’s Grapefruit League opener. Sternberg told the media he is confident this year’s team is improved over last year’s 80-win club.
I’d like to use last year as a baseline, if we could, and improve it, said Sternberg. This off-season I think we did what we needed to to improve the ballclub, really additive stuff, and I’m looking forward to (the season). People think we have as good a club as we’ve had, and that’s all I can ask for.
Sternberg remains hopeful the Rays will be healthier than they were in 2015, saying:
Clearly, injuries are part of the game, but the first four months of the season it was unprecedented for us, and I’d like it to stay unprecedented.
The Rays principal owner also acknowledged that the AL East is again deeply and talented, although he hinted at Tampa Bay’s place in the thick of things.
It looks like we’re raised our game, but theirs has gone up more dramatically.
Rays 3/1/16 Starting Lineup
RF Mahtook
CF Kiermaier
3B Longoria
DH Morrison
LF Jennings
1B Loney
SS Beckham
2B Franklin
C Casali
RHP Odorizzi
Other pitchers scheduled to throw include RHP Andrew Bellatti, LHP Enny Romero, LHP Blake Snell, RHP Taylor Guerrieri, RHP Mark Sappington, and RHP Eddie Gamboa.
Noteworthiness
― Matt Moore threw live batting practice on Tuesday, which Manager Kevin Cash called extremely sharp. The Rays skipper is looking forward to seeing the team in game action on Wednesday: