If one player defected and the other cooperated, the defector earned $3 and the cooperator nothing.

Since 1991, roughly 30 players have defected.

Greg Borris, a spokesman for the Islanders, would not confirm that the player was defecting.

They might've succeeded, but a minor player defected.

Kevin Hallinan, the senior vice president for security, said his officers would know if a player had defected.

Since 1991, more than 30 top players have defected to seek fortunes in the United States, draining the baseball program of some important talents.

The other player, Edilberto Oropesa, 23, defected over the weekend.

Other players had either defected or had not been member of the national team before him.

Four players defected from a tournament in Curacao early this summer.

Some players defected from the Australian Test team to play in South Africa.