Rob Manfred confident Rays will play exhibition in Cuba
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters that he is confident the Tampa Bay Rays will play an exhibition game in Cuba next month, reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez.
Though no official announcement has been made, March 22 is the tentative date for the exhibition in Havana, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The Rays, who were randomly selected by Manfred in November to partake in the spring training game abroad, will be the first U.S. team to play in Cuba since March 1999, if the Cuban government approves the exhibition.
Before Fidel Castro’s revolution, U.S. teams commonly played spring training games in Cuba. However, no MLB spring training games took place in Cuba between 1959 and 1999.
• Spring training preview: AL East
The Rays begin spring training exhibitions March 2 against the Washington Nationals.
