SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) -- The possibility of defections hangs over the World Baseball Classic with Cuba's best players in the U.S. Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico and the lure of big league baseball's millions on display.

Major League Baseball, the Cuban federation of baseball and local promoters of the global tourney are downplaying security precautions over possible defections from the Olympic champs, stung by high-profile departures in the past, including those of Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and Jose Contreras.

But history and the very presence of the Cuban team in Puerto Rico this week keeps the door open to defections from the communist-ruled island. The worst mass defection came in 1993 in Puerto Rico, during the Central American and Caribbean Games, when 39 athletes and trainers jumped ship.

"We will give all the support to anyone (who defects)," said Miguel Angel Martinez, president of the local chapter of the Cuban American National Foundation, a leading Cuba exile group. "We will support them legally and in every facet."

Participation in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, which brings together national squads from 16 leading baseball countries, is a risky road trip for Cuba, which has suffered a constant drain of sports talent from defections.

Major League baseball scouts will be watching the Cuban national team closely, hoping to lure top players with million-dollar contracts.

The Cubans will take to the same field as dozens of Major League millionaires. Cuban players earn a pittance.

In the past, some of Cuba's best players have joined the hundreds of Cubans who try to leave the island each year seeking better living conditions in the United States. Many make the risky journey on boats or rafts across the 100 miles (160 kilometers) of water that separate Cuba from Florida.

That's how "El Duque" Hernandez fled Cuba in 1997 before signing a multimillion-dollar big-league contract. His brother, Livan Hernandez, also pitches in the majors.

Cuban exile hard-liners in Miami, opposed to President Fidel Castro, have urged players to defect during the tourney.

The Cubans and the other three teams in Pool C -- Panama, Netherlands and Puerto Rico -- are staying at the El San Juan Hotel. The Cubans are in a separate area of the hotel, but Dan Mullin, senior security manager for Major League Baseball, said that's just how it worked out.

"The Cubans have been very good to work with," said Mullin. "They haven't asked for anything special."

The president of the Cuban baseball federation, Carlos Rodriguez, said there was no need for extraordinary security measures. "It's just like any other event," he said. "There is no need" for special arrangements.

Mullin said security checks, such as reviewing travel routes, FBI briefings and bomb sweeps, were routine for an event of this size.

Cuba plays its first game on Wednesday against Panama and as one of the tournament favorites is expected to make it to the second round. That would keep Cuban players on the island until March 15.

Martinez said he can't predict whether there will be defections. "We won't know until they do it," he said. "You know, they are surrounded by security and they have families in Cuba. Taking that step is not easy."

The Cuban national baseball team lost its best pitcher, Contreras, in 2002 during a tournament in Mexico. He was signed by the New York Yankees to a $32 million contract.

In June 2004, first baseman Kendry Morales fled Cuba in a motorboat and now plays for the Los Angeles Angels. Seattle Mariners shortstop Yunieski Betancourt also left Cuba by sea in 2004.

Copyright 2006 Reuters.