MLB teams ‘proactive’ in rushing Venezuelan players back to U.S.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Following the United States launching a military strike against Venezuela to capture its president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Jan. 3, Major League Baseball executives have mostly united around a single plan: get their Venezuelan players to the United States as quickly as possible.

Those early arrivals allayed many of teams’ fears about player safety and, ultimately, their ability to report in time for spring training, which began this week at camps in Florida and Arizona. Most of those who remained behind have since been able to obtain visas without having to overcome more difficult logistical hurdles than usual, according to several front office officials and agents who spoke to ESPN this week.

“As soon as the Maduro thing happened, teams were like, ‘Let’s get the guys here as soon as possible,'” said an agent who represents several Venezuelan-born players. “So a lot of guys have been here for a while.”

Venezuelan players who are neither citizens nor residents – and therefore do not possess a U.S. passport – must obtain a P-1A visa to travel to the United States and play their baseball seasons. With the U.S. embassy in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, closed since 2019, Venezuelan players travel to Colombia or the Dominican Republic to get their visas before flying to the United States.

Two agents told ESPN that their clients had to endure extremely long waits to get their visas in Colombia, with one in particular spending more than three weeks in limbo before finally being able to travel to Arizona for spring training. As the United States makes a concerted effort to crack down on immigration, others have pointed to longer-than-usual delays in obtaining visas and green cards for players from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, countries that accounted for 61.5% of players in attendance on Opening Day in 2025.

To try to soften the blow, teams started their process much earlier than usual.

“I’ve never dealt with a team in December trying to process visas, especially for a guy who’s never had any problems,” one agent told ESPN. “On this basis, things are different.”

Full practices for all 30 major league teams will begin Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Many players have yet to report to camp. Among pitchers and catchers, however, there were only a handful of late arrivals, as there are every year. Only two of them, Atlanta Braves reliever Robert Suarez and Chicago Cubs catcher Moises Ballesteros, are from Venezuela.

“We have been proactive in ensuring that our [Venezuelan] “Players are coming out early,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said, echoing the sentiments of many of his peers.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio was playing winter ball in Venezuela when the United States launched a military operation in his home country. He wanted to stay and finish the season, but the Brewers staff urged him to come to the United States.

“They’re under a lot of pressure,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. “They want to play for their country and there is pressure locally. I understand that. But we have to make sure they are safe.”

In June last year, President Donald Trump signed a travel ban against 12 countries – Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – in a move he described as “protecting the national security and national interest of the United States and its people.” There were also partial restrictions and limitations on entry for nationals of seven countries, including Venezuela.

But the order contained an exemption for “any athlete or member of a sports team, including coaches, persons in necessary supporting roles and immediate parents, traveling for the World Cup, Olympic Games or other major sporting events as determined by the Secretary of State.” A league official said the U.S. State Department cooperated in bringing MLB players from Venezuela to the United States for spring training.

The U.S. Embassy is expected to eventually reopen in Caracas and commercial airlines are expected to resume direct flights from Venezuela to the United States after a seven-year hiatus, giving Venezuelan players’ agents hope that the process of integrating them into their teams will be easier in the near future.

This year, however, many of them are simply relieved that a potential crisis has been averted.