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Report: Highly touted brothers defect from Cuba

Yuki Taguchi / Major League Baseball / Getty

With spring training just days away, two of Cuba's most talented ballplayers - Yulieski Gurriel and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - have reportedly defected and will look to sign with MLB clubs, reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.

Sent to the Dominican Republic to represent Cuba at the Caribbean Series, the brothers - Yulieski, 31, and Lourdes Jr., 22 - abandoned their delegation after the Cuban national team was eliminated Saturday, according to a translated report from Jorge Ebro of the El Huevo Herald. Born into one of the most decorated baseball families in Cuba, both had previously expressed a desire to leave the country with governmental permission.

"I want to play, but I want to do it legally, with permission," Yulieski said last year. "Everyone wants to play in the highest level in the world. For baseball players, that's in MLB."

An official told The Associated Press that the brothers left their hotel before dawn on Monday in the Dominican capital, and managers of Ciega de Avila, which lost to eventual champion Mazatlan of Mexico in the semifinals, asked police to help locate the pair.

Though Yulieski is a bit more seasoned than his brother, the veteran infielder remains one of the most celebrated ballplayers in Cuba, having spent parts of 15 seasons in Serie Nacional while also representing the country at the 2004 Olympics and all three World Baseball Classic tournaments. Throughout his impressive tenure in Cuba's top league, Yulieski hit .333/.414/.577 with 245 home runs and 118 stolen bases while showing off "solid-average tools," according to Rene Gayo, the Pittsburgh Pirates' international scouting director. Yulieski, who also briefly played in Japan's Central League, will not be subject to international bonus pool restrictions should he be declared a free agent by MLB.

Lourdes Jr., meanwhile, made his Series Nacional debut at age 16 and posted a .769 OPS over parts of six seasons with Sancti Spiritus and Havana. Widely considered the island's top prospect, the young second baseman hit .321/.387/.537 with eight home runs and 11 doubles in 43 games last year, and he may not be subject to bonus pool restrictions if he signs with an MLB team after his 23rd birthday.

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