Cespedes Blocked by OFAC

This is fascinating and unprecedented.

According to [Adam] Katz, Cespedes -- declared a free agent by Major League Baseball on Jan. 25 -- can negotiate and come to terms with a club, but cannot finalize a contract until he is “unblocked” by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

OFAC is a federal agency, part of the Treasury department, and quite serious. It maintains a list of "blocked entities" with which no U.S. firm can do business. People like Saddam Hussein and Pablo Escobar were on the OFAC list. It's possible that some Cuban players have been on the list before, given our frosty relationship with Cuba, but certainly not one this close to signing a deal.

The goal of OFAC, mainly, is to prevent money laundering. A bank, for example, that does business with a blocked entity faces stiff fines and possible jail time. No GM is going to risk that for a player.

This will likely be cleared up quickly, especially now that it's getting publicity. But for now -- wow.