That’s the case of Rubén Valdés, who played in Mexico; athletes recruited from the provinces will be paid $100, almost 20 times what a National Series player earns
14ymedio, Havana, August 13, 2026 / The Camagüey team is offering some of its ballplayers salaries in dollars. According to the Facebook page Los Toros de Camagüey, Rubén Valdés “will be paid $800 a month plus bonus packages,” a fortune compared with the less than $6 a month a National Series athlete earns on average.
Valdés, who played last season with the Indios de Múzquiz of Mexico’s Liga Norte de Coahuila, confirmed his move to the team to the sports outlet Los Tigres Avileños Béisbol. However, he said the salary matter is personal. “There are things that sometimes don’t get talked about, and this is one of them. Right now all we have to do is play,” he said.
The Ciego de Ávila native said the money side is a matter for the club’s management, “they’re the ones who know, and they have the proposals to get the team to the playoffs.” In the same conversation, he said he had had talks with the Tigres, but the club’s management ruled him out “because of his age.” The reality, according to the player, is that “they were upset that he wasn’t part of the team for the now-concluded Liga Élite.”
Besides Valdés’s salary, the club is guaranteeing payments of $100 a month to players from other provinces joining for the National Series. An uncle of Kelbis Rodríguez confirmed his arrival at the Toros to the Facebook page Desde Las Gradas Con Andino.
Speaking to the specialized outlet Swing Completo, some athletes, whose names it withheld, confirmed the $100 salaries
Speaking to the specialized outlet Swing Completo, some athletes, whose names it withheld, confirmed the $100 salaries, though it noted that “the source of the investment is uncertain, but the money for this project appears to be secured.”
Other names set to receive the attractive salary include Yasmani Velázquez (Guantánamo), Yonathan Martínez, Luis Miguel Vázquez, and Albert Valladares (of Mayabeque), Fernando Betanzo Jr. (Sancti Spíritus), and Leodan King Reyes (Pinar del Río). The arrival of Henry Quintero is also mentioned.
The reality is that Cuba remains one of the countries with the lowest minimum wage in the world, despite the increase published in the Official Gazette in recent months.
Elite athletes will receive 5,590 pesos (less than $10 a month) if they reach the rank of Olympic medalist. Anyone who wins a world medal will earn 4,845 pesos ($8), Pan American Games winners will be given 4,475 pesos ($7.50), and a Central American Games medal brings 4,095 pesos ($6.90). Meanwhile, players on the National Pre-Selection and National Series will be paid 3,725 pesos ($6.20), while reserves will receive 3,210 pesos ($5.40).
Translated by GH
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