The rise of Cuban-born players in Major League Baseball is one unlike any other. Baseball players in the small island nation have shown they will do almost anything to escape communism and join MLB.

Numerous Cuban players have defected, risking their lives to play in the United States. For many of those players, the risk was worth the reward. Here are the five highest paid Cuban-born players in the game today.

1. Rusney Castillo: $72.5 million

The highest paid Cuban-born player today is Rusney Castillo. Castillo signed with the Boston Red Sox last August for seven years and $72.5 million. Pretty safe to say he wouldn't have made that much in Cuba. Castillo became well known by MLB scouts because of his great play with the Cuban International Team. He, like many others, attempted to escape several times, but was unsuccessful. Finally Castillo defected to the Dominican Republic where MLB and the U.S. had proper jurisdiction. Castillo had a great rookie season last year batting .333 at the plate, and he even had a .528 slugging percentage.

2. Yasmany Tomas: $68.5 million

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a great young rookie in Yasmany Tomas. After defecting to the Dominican Republic, the Diamondbacks signed Tomas to a huge six-year contract worth $68.5 million. In just his first year in the majors, the 24-year-old out of Havana is batting .299 at the plate. Tomas isn't a power hitter, but he ranks third on the team in batting average so far this year. The Diamondbacks are still in the mix in the AL wild card race.

3. Jose Abreu: $68 million

One of the best young players in MLB today. Jose Abreu had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever last year. He went on to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award with the Chicago White Sox hitting 36 home runs and 107 runs batted in. Abreu even finished fourth in the MVP voting last season. Abreu's story into MLB is a very risky and daring one as he has told the media several times he encountered sharks, large ships and giant waves at sea before arriving in Haiti. The White Sox and Abreu eventually agreed on a six-year $68 million contract.

4. Yasiel Puig: $42 million

He's one of the most exciting players to watch. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a great outfielder in Yasiel Puig, but his playing time has been decreasing this season. Puig had a great rookie season batting .319, and last year he batted .296. Puig doesn't like talking about his journey into the U.S., and tends to get very emotional when it is brought up. He finally found his freedom into the U.S. by escaping into Mexico through a drug cartel. This year Puig is batting just .241 for the Dodgers, but he's been playing great defense in the outfield.

5. Yoenis Cespedes: $36 million

The New York Mets had one of the best trade deadlines this year. One reason for that, they acquired Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers. Since grabbing Cespedes, the Mets offense has improved big time in just nine games of play. Cespedes is batting .289 with the Mets so far. Just like Castillo and many others, Cespedes defected into the Dominican Republic. From there he became a free agent, and the Oakland Athletics were the first team to sign him. Cespedes is scheduled to become a free agent after this season.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1