MLB hopes for normalcy in Venezuela

José Altuve, the Houston Astros’ second baseman, turns a double play during Game 6 of the World Series, at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Nov. 5, 2022. There were 63 Venezuelans, including Altuve, spread across Major League Baseball rosters on opening day in 2025, a total eclipsed only by the Dominican Republic among foreign countries. (Annie Mulligan/The New York Times)

By ANDY McCULLOUGH / THE ATHLETIC

In the days since U.S. military forces captured President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela in a raid on a Caracas compound on Saturday, officials across the landscape of Major League Baseball have scrambled to check on the safety of players, coaches and scouts throughout the country, while trying to understand how the raid and its aftermath might affect the coming season and the World Baseball Classic.

Those within baseball were still gathering information, but interviews with executives, scouts and agents suggested a tenuous status quo in a country marked by unsteady relations with the United States for many years.

After a four-day layoff, the Venezuelan Winter League was scheduled to resume play Wednesday.

Despite initial concerns, international scouting directors were hopeful about conducting the signing day for amateur prospects on Jan. 15. Venezuela is still expected to take part in the World Baseball Classic in March.

An MLB representative declined to comment on the situation in Venezuela. The MLB office has maintained dialogue with teams since President Donald Trump tagged Venezuela with a travel ban last year, according to team and league sources.

After the Federal Aviation Administration implemented flight restrictions across Caribbean airspace over the weekend, multiple executives — who, like all of the sources who spoke to The Athletic, requested anonymity in order to speak freely about the situation — expressed relief Monday that the restrictions were quickly removed, allowing players and coaches to leave the country in time for spring training next month.

As MLB officials recommended that teams say little publicly about the situation, according to sources, multiple players contacted by The Athletic were also wary of commenting on Maduro’s ouster.

Given the uncertainty, conversations with baseball officials revealed lingering unease about a nation that plays a vital role in the sport’s tapestry. There were 63 Venezuelans spread across big league rosters on opening day in 2025, a total eclipsed only by the Dominican Republic among foreign countries. Some of the most prominent players in the sport, including nine-time All-Star José Altuve, who plays for the Houston Astros; the 2023 National League MVP, Ronald Acuña Jr., who plays for the Atlanta Braves; and rising star Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers, call the country home.

MLB officials have paid increased attention to the country since Trump issued the travel ban last June. In August, a youth team from Venezuela was denied entry into the United States for a baseball tournament in South Carolina. The process to admit Venezuela into the Little League World Series required players and team officials to travel to Colombia for visa interviews, along with assistance from Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa., and a personal sign-off from the secretary of state, Marco Rubio.

In December, the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation opted to move its wintertime championship tournament from Venezuela to Guadalajara, Mexico. Then came Saturday’s raid, with Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, detained and taken to New York to stand trial on charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine importation.

For many working in MLB front offices, the weekend was spent sending texts and making calls. Boston Red Sox officials said they had verified the whereabouts of a contingent that included outfielder Wilyer Abreu, first baseman Willson Contreras and catcher Carlos Narváez. Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Pérez traded messages with team officials, who also contacted third baseman Maikel García and an infield coach, José Alguacil.

“We’ve confirmed everybody’s fine,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said on a conference call with reporters Monday. “Everybody’s healthy, not harmed. Families are fine.”

Astros manager Joe Espada checked in with Altuve and his bench coach, Omar López, who was managing in the Dominican Winter League. Altuve, the most decorated active Venezuelan player, has been in Houston this winter, Espada said.

López will manage his country’s team when the World Baseball Classic returns in March. The Venezuelans are part of a pool that includes the Dominican Republic, Israel, the Netherlands and Nicaragua, and they will play at LoanDepot Park in Miami.

“The only thing that I’m going to say is this: We’re not bad people,” López said during an interview at the winter meetings last month. “We’re good people. We’re noble. We’re humble people. Just let us be happy. That’s all.”