Cuban Baseball Player Carlos Tabares Decides to Stay in the United States

March 21, 2022

Cuban baseball player Carlos Tabares, Olympic champion and recognized supporter of the Havana regime, has been living in Miami, United States for several months while awaiting his residency.

Journalist Yordano Carmona, co-founder of the Pelota Cubana website, shared the information through his Twitter account and asserted that Tabares "basically decided to 'leave his mark on Miami's baseball fields'".

"Sources: Carlos Tabares, Olympic champion, World Baseball Classic runner-up and recognized supporter of the regime has decided to stay in Miami. How great you are USA!", Carmona wrote this afternoon, without offering more details about the matter.

Sources close to the baseball player confirmed to Cubita NOW's editorial team that Tabares "has been in Miami for several months awaiting residency".

"I can't believe it, I don't understand how the Cuban community in the United States allows these things to happen"; "And there are also other players who are courted who were regime supporters...like the Gurriels and the Mesas", reacted some internet users.

Carlos Alberto Tabares Padilla, known as "El lince Giraldillo" or "El pequeño Tabares" retired in 2018.

"I was settling accounts with my wife. I was 40 years old, I was in series 54 and I started in 1992 with number 56 and series 56 was coming. Javier Méndez started as director in series 55 and I told my wife then: I'm going to retire in series 56. I made the decision because I had made a promise years back when I went to the cemetery to see my father: 'My old man, we started in '92 and I told you I was going to make this number great. I'm going to retire in series 56'", he said about the decision.

He also added that "it was hard because I was playing well, but I told Javier Méndez that I was going to prepare myself with my greatest effort, to finish as they saw me begin. People cried, because they always saw my dedication. My wife had a lot to do with it, she took care of that part of the retirement. She moved everything and the retirement was accomplished. Whoever cried did so because I was leaving, because they would stop seeing the captain. It was difficult, but I had to do it: retire to never be forgotten. I retired like Javier Méndez, with great performance".

According to what he told Play off Magazine, he rejected several offers to leave Cuba. "I had one from the Cincinnati Reds around '98 when we took a tour through Venezuela, for five million. Later from the Chicago Cubs, for 8 million. In Panama, in 2003, as well. I refused at that time because they were very family-oriented people. I also didn't want to abandon my country, because there's no better country than mine to live in. I wanted to be by my parents' side. Joe Cuba approached me a lot at that time. He told me the doors were open in the Major Leagues if you ever decide. He respected my decision. I would have liked to play there, but I thought a lot about family. I don't regret staying with my family".

In 2019, the Industriales player and member of Cuba's national team was allegedly involved in a baseball trafficking crime that put him under investigation.

Sources close to Diario de Cuba said that Tabares may have also been accused of offering information to "some Major League franchise", as well as "pulling strings" for future signings, which is why he would have been banned from entering all baseball stadiums in the country, however, the baseball player denied everything.

"I'm right now at my house with my wife, calm. In a little while I'm going to leave for the Sports City to coordinate work matters related to Industriales' preparation. I'm living my normal life, I don't understand who and why have invented all this stuff about baseball trafficking, detention and bans.", he told Oncuba.