Last week's agreement between Major League Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation, which allows players from the island nation to sign with US teams under rules similar to Japan and South Korea, is considered the latest milestone in bilateral diplomacy. The path to MLB was previously fraught with peril, but as LUIS CHIRINO reports from Havana, that is all about to change.

The President of the Cuban Baseball Federation confirmed the deal with the United States at a press conference in Havana.

HIGINIO VELEZ CUBAN BASEBALL FEDERATION PRESIDENT "This is a happy day for Cuban baseball, for baseball around the world, for our people and also for the American people."

The deal eliminates the dangerous choice Cuban athletes have made for years to play baseball in the US, leaving their country illegally and exposing themselves to human traffickers, previously the only option to reach American Major League clubs.

Among those who've risked the journey in the past, many were not successful, but had to wait eight years before they could return home. But some players soared, like Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jose Dariel Abreu of the Chicago White Sox. Back in 2015, they made a visit back here to Cuba, to train kids and meet with fans and relatives.

YASIEL PUIG SPEAKING IN 2015 "I've really missed my country, the people, and the Cuban environment, which I had not seen for some time, and I'm now filled with emotion. I came here to offer our children some clinics we do back in the U.S.."

Baseball has long served as a bridge between Cuba and the United States, with regular bilateral matches held attesting to both sides' deep passion for the sport. In 2016, then-U.S. President Barack Obama visited the island and joined his then-counterpart Raul Castro at a baseball game in Havana, in what was considered a historic event following the re-establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.

LUIS CHIRINO HAVANA "The diplomacy of baseball, now serving as a step forward in U.S.-Cuba relations, despite clear signs of setbacks under Donald Trump."

News of the accord prompted animated reactions from baseball fans here at Havana's Central Park.

LEO PLUTIN BASEBALL FAN "This opens the doors to athletes with talent and conditions who want to reach their top success in baseball."

MOISES TRIANA BASEBALL FAN "Everyone dreams of a Major League contract, so they can take on our best players now to the detriment of our National Series, but young talents will follow on and play better ball because they will like to have a contract too."

This initial agreement, which covers players under contract to the Cuban Baseball Federation, will run through October 2021. Luis Chirino, CGTN, Havana.