MLB, agents scramble to help Venezuelan players before season

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MLB and agents scramble to help Venezuelan players before the season

By Zachary Cariola | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 11:06 AM ET

Major League Baseball will play spring training games soon (Feb. 20), and players will start playing games to prepare for the World Baseball Classic, which begins March 17.

Despite this, Major League Baseball faces the challenge of ensuring that players from Venezuela return to the United States safely and legally so they can begin their seasons. According to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, once the United States and the Trump Administration arrested the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, multiple agents who represented Venezuelan players scrambled to secure them visas.

"I've never dealt with a team in December trying to process visas, especially for a guy who's never been in trouble," one agent told Gonzalez. "Just based on that, things are different."

Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian said of the situation, "We were proactive in having our [Venezuelan] players come out early." Players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela made up 25% of major league rosters last season, which presents a major problem for Major League Baseball.

Many Major League Baseball players could be affected

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Jackson Chourio was one of the players affected, as he was playing in a Venezuelan winter league when the United States initially attacked Venezuela. Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said Venezuelan players are “under a lot of pressure,” given these circumstances.

"They want to play for their country," Arnold said, "and locally there's pressure. I understand that. But we have to make sure they're safe."

Many stars across Major League Baseball could be affected as Chourio was, with these star players on Team Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic possibly being impacted: Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, Boston Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suarez, first baseman Willson Contreras, and others.

Major League Baseball needs a solution to this problem ASAP

With the Trump Administration taking a strong stance toward the South American nation, anything is possible before Opening Day. With Venezuela playing in the WBC, it potentially makes it more difficult for non-MLB players to obtain visas.

As with most players hailing from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and other countries (except Puerto Rico), they must secure P1 visas to work in the United States. Since Venezuela is one of the 12 countries on Trump’s travel ban, and the embassy has been closed since 2019, players have had to travel to the Dominican Republic or Colombia to obtain their visas. Unless something can be figured out to make the process easier, Major League Baseball could see some star players missing Opening Day.

Zachary Cariola

My name is Zachary Cariola and I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. My areas of expertise are MLB, NBA, and NFL. When I’m not writing, I love spending time with my family and learning history.

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