Left-handed pitcher Rolando Viera, suspended from Cuban baseball for the 2000-01 season because officials there suspected he wanted to defect, has left the Communist island, according to his agent.
Viera, 27, flew out of Cuba earlier this month with a valid visa, leaving his wife behind, said agent Joe Kehoskie.
"Rolando is now looking forward to pursuing his dream of pitching in the major leagues," Kehoskie said.
The agent would not say where the pitcher was staying. In the past, defectors from Cuba have often gone to third countries in order to gain free agency and then sign with major league teams.
If Viera seeks political asylum in the United States, he will be subject to the amateur draft and will be able to negotiate only with the organization that drafts him. If he seeks residency in another country, he would become a free agent and could sign with the highest bidder.
Kehoskie said the pitcher was on a vigorous throwing and conditioning program after sitting out last season.
"It's been nine months since he pitched competitively," the agent said. "He's throwing now for the first time in a while with hitters. In Cuba, he could run and he'd sneak off and throw with a friend sometimes but he wasn't allowed on a baseball field."
Kehoskie said he thought the pitcher was two to four weeks away from having scouts evaluate him. The major league draft is set for June 5-7.
In Cuba, Viera pitched for Industriales, compiling an 18-10 record with 3.12 earned run average in his last two seasons. In his last full season, 1999-2000, he was 8-6 with a 3.16 ERA, striking out 54 and walking 28 in 88.1 innings.
One of his teammates was pitcher Adrian "El Duquecito" Hernandez, who left Cuba last year and signed with the New York Yankees.
The Yankees' starting rotation includes Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who also pitched for Industriales and left Cuba in December 1997. No relation to Adrian Hernandez, he signed a $4.6 million contract and won 41 games in his first three seasons, helping the team to three straight World Series championships.
The Yankees also signed Cuban third baseman Andy Morales to a four-year, $4 million agreement earlier this year.