He still harbors doubts about Cuba and the talk of changes there. Several of his relatives have gone on trips to Cuba and encouraged him to go, but he said he doubted that much had really changed. His only visit came during a 1994 humanitarian tour to visit refugees at the American military base at Guantánamo, which is walled off from the rest of the country.

“Players are going to keep coming because there still is no freedom there,” he said.

He noted that Puig and a few other players who had defected visited Cuba in November but only as part of a good-will trip organized by Major League Baseball and the players’ union.

“So it was controlled,” he said. “If I go, I want to go wherever I want, whenever I want. That is freedom.”

In the fading afternoon light, he is waxing the side of his 17-foot boat parked in the yard.

When he takes it out on the seas, it occurs to him he may encounter Cubans on rafts fleeing the island, a common occurrence in South Florida.

“I hear you can’t bring them on the boat,” he says. “You could be accused of smuggling. You throw them water and food and call the Coast Guard.”

The letters indicating the name of the boat are fading. “Lady ——”

“No,” Arocha interrupts. “No, that’s not the name. I haven’t named it yet, but I have the name picked out.”

He smiles, pausing for effect.

“Industriales!”

And he laughs loudly at the inside joke, one for the Cuban fans.