by Yirsandy Rodríguez In some ways, it could be said that the postseason has revived the I Elite League of Cuban Baseball. For many reasons, Game 5 between Centrales vs Portuarios this Monday was one of the most exciting games in these playoffs. Before getting to that point, it is unavoidable to recall each turn during the 213 minutes of gameplay Monday afternoon at Nelson Fernández Stadium in San José de Las Lajas. Box Let's start from the beginning, when Centrales appeared to have come together to knock out Portuarios and take a breath of oxygen in the playoff: It's a game of "hope" Left-handed hitters were once again Yadián Martínez's nightmare. According to the scouting reports, Armando Ferrer acted as follows: As leadoff, Yadil Mujica continued his work. The manager benched Luis Vicente Mateo, who went 2-for-15 over the course of the postseason. Leftfielder Ariel Sánchez was promoted to the second turn, followed by Danel Castro DH, Pavel Quesada 3B, Erisbel Arruebarena SS, Yusniel Ibáez RF, Ariel Martnez 1B, Andrys Pérez C, and, batting ninth, Magdiel Gómez in center field. In the first third of the game, the Centrales came out on top, scoring runs in the second and third innings, respectively. Against starter Yadián Martínez, manager Armando Ferrer used a left-handed duo: Mujica singled to rightfield, and Ariel Sánchez hit a double, sending Mujica home from first base. Centrales 2, Portuarios 0. Despite using only ten pitches in the first inning, Yadián had to use 25 during the next two innings. His changeup was trying to hit the corners of the strike zone, but Centrales' hitters stopped attacking it. Also, Yadián's fastball mostly hovered around 83-84 mph, rarely reaching 85-87 mph, but it was precisely the contrast in speeds that generated non-contact swings. It wasn't long before his opponents understood how to attack him based on the first few pitches. But Yadián managed to remain in the game until the top of the sixth inning, when he left the game still ahead 3-2. Yasniel 3, Centrales 2 After a scoreless fourth inning, the game took an exciting turn. Denis Laza opened the fourth inning getting on base when Javier Mirabal walked him after having mastered the first three innings. It was the first runner getting on base with less than two outs, and that immediately alerted everyone, knowing that the core of the Portuarios' lineup (Santoya-Valdés-González) were ready to come up. With a fastball clocking 92-94 mph, Mirabal's fastball looked challenging, well above the league average of 84 mph. He used his slider to keep Yasiel Santoya in check, but he hit Oscar Valdés. Then Yasniel González entered the batter's box with two runners on base. During his first matchup against Mirabal, González hit a powerful liner into Magdiel Gómez' glove in centerfield. It was Yasniel's timing that enabled him to crack another fastball from Mirabal, and that was the next thing that happened in seconds: A smashing swing. Yasniel González put Portuarios on top with a three-run homer. I'm not sure if you saw it the same way, but Mirabal unprotected his fastball a bit, obviously looking for better control. But to be honest, Yasniel has been able to make good contact with Centrales pitchers all season long. Before Game 5, he was 3-for-3 against Mirabal. Overall, only three of the 14 Centrales pitchers Yasniel faced have managed to strike him out all season: Alaín Sánchez (2), left-hander Dariel Góngora (1) and Noelvis Entenza (1). In fact, only two pitchers have been able to dominate Yasniel at least four times during the I Elite League, the Villa Clara duo of Freddy Asiel Álvarez-Alaín Sánchez. Against them he went 0-for-4. After Yasniel hit his second home run in consecutive games — his only two hits in this Semifinal matchup — Mirabal left the game and lefty Dariel Góngora was brought in. Góngora then prevented Portuarios from extending their lead, completing four scoreless innings. For Portuarios, Industriales' right-hander Andy Vargas relieved Yadián in the top of the sixth inning, and was able to retire eight in a row with a strikeout. Vargas, coming off a surprising breakout year, turned the ball over to the team's closer, righthander Marlon Vega, in the nineth. Three outs away from advancing to the finals, manager Michael González' plan didn't work out. The resurrection After entering Game 5 on Monday with a disconcerting record of just one run scored in the last 25 innings, Centrales still looked subdued. But, after Pavel Quesada walked to start the ninth inning and Vega struck out Arruebarrena for the first out, one of the most unexpected plays occurred. Yusniel Ibáñez hit an easy fly ball to Yoasán Guillén in center, but he misread it at the last minute, causing the ball to drop in nobody's territory. Hope returned to the Centrales team. With one out, Ariel Martínez was intentionally walked. The bases were loaded and catcher Andrys Pérez came to the plate. Tension! Pérez had already driven in a run, but then he missed two at bats with a pair of fly balls to centerfield. Facing Marlon Vega was difficult for Pérez, even when he has been one of the most efficient hitters (50%) with runners in scoring position this postseason. Nevertheless, Centrales' manager, Armando Ferrer, trusted his instincts and kept Pérez in the game. And the young catcher didn't disappoint. After Luis Felipe Casañas called a controversial pitch "ball" - which seemed like a "third strike" - Pérez struck an RBI single to tie the score at 3-3. Centrales' resurrection began with that saving hit. People will always talk about Casañas' count mistake or the review of certain plays during the game, all of them with no consequences to Centrales. But, whatever the case, Portuarios were sentenced to defeat because of defensive errors by second baseman Jorge Enrique Alomá and rightfielder Orlando Lavandera. * * By the way, if Danel Castro's RBI hit against reliever Juan Xavier Pealver in the nineth inning had been avoided, Portuarios would have evened the score at 6-6. Yes, for Centrales, every run in the six-run rally was crucial. The real true is that closer and MVP of the last 61 National Series, Marlon Vega, was ineffective, despite controversial pitches and inefficient defensive work at key moments. In the bottom of the nineth inning, Ferrer needed three relievers to contain Portuarios' bats and get the important win. With the score 8-6 for Centrales and the tying run at first base, right-hander Hermes González struck out pinch-hitter Jorge Luis Barcelán, and retired Yasiel Santoya in a flyball to deep right field to end the game. When Yusniel Ibáñez got the final out in rightfield, there was a sense of relief on the faces of the Centrales players. After three straight losses, on the verge of being swept on the road, the team finally got a win to send the series back home for Game 6. Whether this success in Game 5 will generate enough inspiration for a comeback is anyone's guess. Obviously, it depends on what version we will see of both teams: The Portuarios that missed the chance of advancing to the championship series?. Or a Centrales team that came from behind, took advantage of whatever Portuarios gave them, and won a key game to extend the series.? The only thing we know at the moment is that there will be Game 6. And that is enough to know that the competition has not ended between Centrales and Portuarios. (Photo: Centrales Team/Osvaldo Gutiérrez)

By Yirsandy Rodríguez There were no surprises at all. With Agricultores convincingly winning their first two games at the Mártires de Barbados stadium, only one path to the throne was left to be discussed. Box So, every inning of Game 3 last Sunday, and Game 4 this Monday, at the Capitán San Luis stadium, in Pinar del Ro, led to the expected conclusion: Agricultores will play in the final! The Tabacaleros could not turn history around: after losing Game 4, 5-4 on Monday afternoon, the Agricultores achieved a 4-0 sweep in the semifinals. The point is that the most dominant teams are usually capable of scoring first, holding leads, or coming from behind. They become even more difficult to beat as they gain confidence. That was the history of the Agricultores-Tabacaleros series. It was inevitable: Agricultores won again on Monday, scoring two runs in the second inning, taking advantage of a passed ball from catcher Jorge Y. Rojas and an RBI grounder from Andrés de la Cruz. The second inning saw Tabacaleros tie the game, taking advantage of Yunier Castillo's difficulties with his command. With two runners on base - Juan C. Arencibia for walk and Dainier Gálvez hit by a pitch - third baseman Dayán García hit a single to left field. With his speedy legs and explosiveness, Arencibia put pressure on the defense and turned towards home plate, contributing to an error by outfielder Rafael Viñales. In the play, Gálvez also made a great run and scored from first base, while Dayán reached third. It was the first unearned run allowed by Agricultores pitching in these playoffs, demonstrating the team's efficiency. However, another risky attempt by Tabacaleros at the bases was neutralized by Agricultores' defense. Cleanup hitter Leo Urgellés grounded out to third baseman Yordanis Alarcón, who fired to first base. Then, without blinking, first baseman Guillermo Avilés took out Dayán García with a precise throw to the plate. It was a saving double play and, still, the game was tied! Our focus when analyzing Agricultores team is usually on their offense, but there is no doubt those led by legendary manager Carlos Martí Santos have bold and experienced fielders. Yasmani Viera started the following inning with infield hit. How would things have turned out? It's impossible to predict baseball, since each situation is unique: but I've always believed in cues when it comes to reading games. Moreover, if Dayán had stayed at third base, Tabacaleros would have scored one more run with Viera's single if he had stayed there. However, with just 2.3 runs scored and 7.8 allowed per game, no team has been able to achieve success against Agricultores in this I Elite League. It didn't take long for the Agricultores' rebellion to begin. They opened the fifth inning by expelling Jonathan Carbó, the right-handed Tabacaleros starter, from the game. Activating one of his top relievers, Frank Luis Medina, was a decisive move by Tabacaleros manager, Alexander Urquiola. With runners on first and second, Osvaldo Abreu hit a line drive to first baseman Urgellés for the first out, but Medina couldn't evade the Agricultores' swings: Yordanis Alarcón hit a two-run double to rightfield, and, after an intentional walk to his brother Yosvany, Rafael Viñales produced another RBI single. A wild pitch from Medina opened the plate to Agricultores' fifth run in the top of the fifth, which, in the end, ended up being the decisive one. Tabacaleros continued to struggle in their best offensive game of this semifinal, until a RBI double by Gálvez in the seventh and a RBI single by Yasser González in the eighth inning, brought them within one run, 5-4. However, it was too late. Throughout the semifinal, Tabacaleros left on base 30 of the 35 runners who reached scoring position. Yes, they drove just 14.2% of the runners. But also, we could add to that their drop in OBP: - Tabacaleros vs. Agricultores pitchers in 10 regular-season games: .372 OBP - Tabacaleros vs. Agricultores pitchers this postseason: .301 OBP So, the slump hasn't been precisely for not hitting the ball: Tabacaleros struck out just 2.3 times per nine innings. They were putting the ball in play in 84.8% of their home plate appearances. So what was the key to his opponents? They barely got any hard-hitting connections. Farmer pitchers are probably the easiest to hit, mostly due to the fact that they throw into the strike zone so often. Perhaps we could blame the offense, but overall, Tabacaleros was far from even its best against Agricultores. The offense never responded, it's true. But none of the starting pitchers sent to the mound by manager Alexander Urquiola could record a quality start or six innings of work. The bullpen, one of Tabacaleros' strengths, failed to sustain dominant performances: they had a terrible 6.62 ERA, with a deficient 1.75 WHIP and 42.8% extra bases allowed. Without getting a lead on the scoreboard, none of the seven Tabacaleros relievers used in the series —who combined for 12 relief games— got to defend a team's lead. With so much ineffectiveness in the main aspects of the game, it was impossible for Tabacaleros to beat Agricultores, a team that, in addition to leading the league during the regular season, displayed a great core of players accustomed to facing games under pressure. And, in playoffs, the “experience” of having been champions is also usually an added value that can help a team make a difference. (Photo: Agricultores Team/Luis Carlos Palacios Leyva)

Seven 2017 World Baseball Classic players return to Team Cuba in 2023, while two other players are back from the 2013 WBC squad, and two others from the 2009 WBC team The Cuban Baseball Federation (CBF) announced today the 50-man preliminary roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The roster is made up of 25 pitchers and 25 position players and features 9 players with previous World Baseball Classic experience. The roster also features 13 players with Major or Minor League experience (*), including two actively in MLB rosters. Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert are the only active players on the 40-man MLB rosters, as the Tigers outrighted Andy Ibáñez to Triple-A Toledo today. Lázaro Armenteros, Ronald Bolaños, Yadil Mujica, Lorenzo Quintana, Luis Romero, and Roenis Elias are active or have been active at some point at the MLB level, even when Elias will have the opportunity to be promoted - again - to the Mayors by the Chicago Cubs in 2023. Meanwhile, Erisbel Arruebarrena, Onelki García, Yoán López, and Yoenis Céspedes are former Major Leaguers. Among the returnees from the 2017 World Baseball Classic squad are Liván Moinelo, Yoanni Yera, Raidel Martínez, Yosvany Alarcón, Yurisbel Gracial, Alfredo Despaigne, and Roel Santos. Erisbel Arruebarrena, Alfredo Despaigne, and Andy Ibáñez were also members of the Cuban team at the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Among the 2009 squad, Céspedes and Despaigne are the only veterans. Cuba Baseball's 2023 World Baseball Classic preliminary roster: Name, Position, Club, Birthplace/Birthdate Yoán Moncada, 3B, Chicago White Sox, Cienfuegos, Cuba/May 27, 1995 (*) Luis Robert, OF, Chicago White Sox, Guantánamo, Cuba/August 3, 1997 (*) Andy Ibáñez, 3B, Detroit Tigers, La Habana, Cuba/April 3, 1993 (*) Lázaro Armenteros, OF, Oakland Athletics, La Habana, Cuba/May 22, 1999 (*) Yoenis Céspedes, OF, Águilas Cibaeñas, Granma, Cuba/ Oct 18, 1985 (*) Elián Leyva, RHP, Naranjeros de Hermosillo, La Habana, Cuba/March 17, 1989 (*) Yoán López, RHP, Yomiuri Giants, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba/January 2, 1993 (*) Roenis Elias, LHP, Chicago Cubs, Guantánamo, Cuba/August 1, 1988 (*) Onelki García, LHP, Águilas de Mexicali, Guantánamo, Cuba/August 2, 1989 (*) Ronald Bolaños, RHP, Kansas City Royals, Mayabeque, Cuba/August 23, 1996 (*) Luis M. Romero, RHP, Oakland A's, Guantánamo, Cuba/April 23, 1994 (*) Liván Moinelo, LHP, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, Pinar del Río, Cuba/December 8, 1995 Raidel Martínez, RHP, Chunichi Dragons, Pinar del Río, Cuba/October 11, 1996 Ariel Martínez, C/1B/OF, Nippon-Ham Fighters, Matanzas, Cuba/May 28, 1996 Yariel Rodríguez, RHP, Chunichi Dragons, Camagüey, Cuba/March 10, 1997 Frank Abel Álvarez, RHP, Chunichi Dragons, La Habana, Cuba, January 16, 1999 Pedro Pablo Revilla, 1B/OF, Chunichi Dragons, Guantánamo, Cuba/March 23, 1999 Guillermo García, 1B/OF, Chunichi Dragons, Granma, Cuba/July 1, 2000 Alfredo Despaigne, OF/DH, Fukuoka S. Hawks, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba/June 17, 1986 Yurisbel Gracial, 3B/OF, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, Guantánamo, Cuba/October 14, 1985 Roel Santos, OF, Naranjeros de Hermosillo, Granma, Cuba/September 15, 1987 Erisbel Arruebarrena, SS, Algodoneros de Guasave, Cienfuegos, Cuba/May 23, 2014 Yoennis Yera, LHP, Charros de Jalisco, Oct 18, 1989, Matanzas, Cuba/October 18, 1989 Yoelkis Guibert, OF, Agricultores, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba/August 29, 1994 Yosvany Alarcón, C, Agricultores, Las Tunas, Cuba/October 15, 1984 Yadir Drake, 1B/OF, Yaquis de Obregón, Matanzas, Cuba/April 12, 1990 Lorenzo Quintana, C/1B/OF, Tigres del Licey, Pinar del Río, Cuba/March 1, 1989 (*) Yadil Mujica, SS/3B/2B, Centrales, Matanzas, Cuba/January 1, 1985 (*) José Ramón Rodríguez, RHP, Centrales, Camagüey, Cuba/August 18, 1992 Naykel Y. Cruz, LHP, Centrales, Matanzas, Cuba/April 29, 1999 Dariel Góngora, LHP, Centrales, Camagüey, Cuba/December 9, 1992 Hermes González, RHP, Centrales, Cienfuegos, Cuba/May 26, 1995 Carlos J. Viera, RHP, Sultanes de Monterrey, Las Tunas, Cuba/December 6, 1988 Andrys Pérez, C, Centrales, Matanzas, Cuba/February 9, 2001 Oscar Valdés, C, Portuarios, La Habana, Cuba/March 27, 1992 Rafael Viñales, C, Agricultores, Las Tunas, Cuba/July 1, 1992 Guillermo Avilés, IF, Agricultores, Granma, Cuba/January 20, 1993 Luis V. Mateo, IF, Centrales, Cienfuegos, Cuba/January 19, 1996 Dayán García, IF, Tabacaleros, Artemisa, Cuba/June 16, 1987 Pavel Quesada, IF, Centrales, Cienfuegos, Cuba/April 23, 1988 Raico Santos, OF, Olmecas de Tabasco, Granma, Cuba/April 20, 1994 Marlon Vega, RHP, Portuarios, Mayabeque, Cuba/September 13, 2002 Javier Mirabal, RHP, Centrales, Villa Clara, Cuba/January 19, 1997 Franklyn Quintana, RHP, Tabacaleros, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba/May 21, 1995 Jonathan Carbó, RHP, Tabacaleros, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba/November 14, 1997 Alexander Valiente, RHP, Cafetaleros, Guantánamo, Cuba/October 20, 2002 Roberto Hernández, RHP, Ganaderos, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba/December 2, 2000 Yeudis Reyes, RHP, Cafetaleros, Guantánamo, Cuba/November 17, 1995 Pavel Hernández, RHP, Portuarios, La Habana, Cuba/December 2, 1996 Alberto P. Civil, RHP, Agricultores, Las Tunas, Cuba/December 1, 1988 Cuba's Previous World Baseball Classic Rosters Manager Armando ‘Mandy’ Johnson leads Team Cuba's staff. Also, on the coaching staff is Germán Mesa (bench coach), Pedro L. Lazo (pitching coach), José Elósegui (bullpen coach), Orestes Kindelán (hitting coach), Rafael Muñoz (third base coach), Armando Ferrer (first base coach), Humberto Guevara (physical trainer). Except for those players restricted by their professional clubs, the announced roster will hold its first concentration on January 15 at the Latinoamericano Stadium in Cuba's capital. The shortlisted may also hold a training camp in México and the Dominican Republic. The final roster of 30 players will be announced on February 7th. It is expected that Cuba will leave for Asia around February 15 and play three preparatory matches with teams from the NPB (Japanese Professional League) between February 19 and 23. The announced preparatory games are against the Chunichi Dragons on February 19, the Yomiuri Giants on February 22, and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on February 23 Cubas' World Baseball Classic team will play its first-round games as part of Pool A at Taichung Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan. Cuba will face the Netherlands at 11:00 pm (ET) on Tuesday, March 7, before taking on Italy on March 9 at 6:00 am (ET), Panama on March 9 at 11:30 pm (ET), and after a day rest, taking host country team, Chinese Taipei, on March 11 at 11:00 pm (ET).

by BaseballdeCuba.com Staff A home run by Guillermo Avilés led a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth, left-hander Leandro Martnez dominated with one run allowed, and Agricultores beat Tabacaleros 6-1 Friday afternoon, in Game 2 of the Semifinal of the First Elite League of Cuban Baseball. Box Agricultores has taken a 2-0 lead against Tabacaleros, who have been stifled on offense in their first two matches of this postseason. Having opened up the scoring with a leadoff single and a double from Juan Carlos Arencibia and a ground ball to short by Leonardo Urgellés, the team led by Alexander Urquiola took an early 1-0 lead. The western team's offense, made up of players from Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, and Isla de la Juventud, suffered eight consecutive shutouts from the Agricultores pitching after that first match up against the left-handed veteran Leandro Martínez, 43. The right-handed Erlys Casanova threw three scoreless innings where he allowed only one hit —single from catcher and eighth hitter, Iván Prieto—, using only 33 pitches. Four of those first nine outs were taken by defensive shortstop Arencibia, who precisely committed a costly blunder in the following inning, leaving Osvaldo Abreu safe at second with a routine groundout by Yordanis Alarcón. After one out, yielded by Yosvany Alarcón on a fly to first, Rafael Viñales drove in the tie run (1-1) for Agricultores, with a sacrifice fly to center field. An inninge later, Guillermo Avilés - once again - shined on the postseason stage, and hit a long home run to right field on a 1-1 count. The solo shot provided a 2-1 lead for Agricultores —which would have been decisive—, and then hits from Yuniesky Larduet and Yordanis Alarcón extended the lead to three runs, until Casanova was removed after 4 2/3 IP, 4 C, 2CL, 2SO. With a 4-1 lead, Leandro Martínez retired the sixth inning in a row against Tabacaleros, completing a quality start by allowing no runs, striking out one opponent and walking just two. The rest of the game was handled by right-handed Yoel Mojena, who got the save, after completing three innings. Tabacaleros went 1-for-10 against him. With Yordanis' RBI, now the Alarcón's brothers have 20 RBIs against the Tabacaleros this season, for an impressive 28% effectiveness. Guillermo Avilés hit his second home run of this Semifinals and, together with Osvaldo Abreu, hit half of the 12 hits of Agricultores in the game. After leading the regular season with a 30-19 record, Carlos Martí's Agricultores remain unbeatable at home. After Friday's win, they now have an excellent record of 20-6 playing at home, and they are only two wins away from going to the first finals of the Cuban Elite League. (Photo: Yordanys Alarcón/Radio Bayamo)

According to the last list of the international association, Cuba ascended one place World No. 2 Chinese Taipei and No. 3 USA complete the podium. The end-of-the-year rankings reflect the addition of points gathered in 2022 and the expiration of all points earned in 2018. The WBSC revealed the end-of-the-year World Rankings for Men's Baseball today with Japan leading the way - a position it has held since 2014 - with 4,179 points on top of 81 baseball teams. The WBSC Baseball World Rankings measure National Team performance, from U-12 to the top level, in WBSC-sanctioned international competitions over a four-year period. The end-of-the-year rankings reflect the expiration of all points earned in 2018. Men's Baseball World Rankings in detail Japan and world No. 2 Chinese Taipei (3,819 points) retained their positions in the World Rankings while the United States became the baseball team that improved the most among the top 10 - thanks to its title triumphs at the WBSC U-12, U-15, and U-18 Baseball World Cups this year - moving from fifth to third position on 3,449 points. Korea and Mexico both lost a position and rank now fourth and fifth respectively, followed by Venezuela, the Netherlands, and Cuba. The three teams all earned one place. The Cuban team appears with a total of 2,246 points, followed by its counterparts from the Dominican Republic (1,894) and Australia (1,889), the first dropping three places, the highest figure among the Top-10 on the list. At No. 7, the Netherlands leads the European teams. The Dominican Republic lost three positions and is now at No. 9 while Australia remained stable in the 10th spot. Positions from 11 to 20 are split between American and European teams. Puerto Rico, now at No. 13, gained three places and became the most improved of the baseball teams in this area of the rankings. No. 14 Canada and No. 17 Nicaragua both lost two positions. Amongst the top 59 baseball teams, Curaçao and Bulgaria made the highest gains moving up 11 places to 33rd and 57th respectively while the biggest movers were the Mariana Islands and the Bahamas who moved up 18 and 16 places to 60th and 64th respectively.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2022 offseason. A compendium from several sources Blue Jays acquired outfielder Daulton Varsho from the Diamondbacks for catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Gurriel had a solid season at the plate in 2022. He hit .291 with a .743 OPS. But his power took a step back as he hit just five home runs in 121 games, the fewest of his five-year career. He is entering the final season of the seven-year, $22 million extension he inked with Toronto back in 2016, and he will spend the final year of the deal in Arizona. It is true that the 29-year-old saw his power drop with a .109 ISO while playing through a wrist issue, but he still had a .291/.343/.400 slash line in 121 games. Gurriel Jr. underwent wrist surgery in October and is expected to be healthy for the start of Spring Training in February, and he should be a key piece of the D-backs' lineup in 2023. Yoán López has signed a contract with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. López has been ostensibly granted his release by the Mets, who received cash from the Giants to relinquish his contract, to pursue an opportunity overseas in Japan. He'll earn $1.1 million this season and can make another $400,000 in performance-based incentives. His departure also opens up a spot on New York's 40-man roster. The hard-throwing 29-year-old righty compiled a lackluster 5.73 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 51/10 K/BB ratio across 11 innings (eight appearances) last year at the big league level. Cubs signed LHP Roenis Elías to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The 34-year-old left-hander made seven appearances with the Marlins during the 2022 season, registering a 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 6/3 K/BB ratio across 7 2/3 innings. He'll compete for a spot in the club's Opening Day bullpen.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2022 offseason. A compendium from several sources Aledmys Díaz has agreed to a two-year deal with the Athletics, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman confirmed that the total value of the two-year pact is $14.5 million. That's a relatively significant monetary commitment for an Oakland club that is always crying poor, and for a player in Díaz who batted just .243 with a .287 on-base percentage over 327 plate appearances this past season with the Astros. Díaz, 32, has spent the past four seasons in a utility role with the division-rival Astros, serving as a nice bat against left-handed pitching and playing all over the diamond. He’s coming off a .243/.287/.403 season that represents a slight downturn from what he’s done in four years with Houston on the whole: .255/.313/.424. Maybe he can unlock more offensive production in an everyday role. At the IV Caribbean Baseball Cup, Cuba beats Bahamas. Thanks to six unanswered runs in the five inning combined with strong outing on the mound by Leodan Reyes, Team Cuba defeated Bahamas, 9-3, on Wednesday night, to win its second game in the IV Caribbean Baseball Cup. The Cuban team, along with Puerto Rico and defending champion Curacao, are leading the tournament all with the same 2-1 record. Today at 2:00 pm (ET), Cuba faces Curacao, while at 6:00 pm (ET) Bahamas will host Puerto Rico. It was Curacao that won the 2021 title, beating Cuba 4-3 in the final. MLBPA Opens first international office in Dominican Republic. The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) has opened its first international office in the Dominican Republic. It is located in the Torre Sarasota Center in Santo Domingo. The MLBPA said that the goal is “increasing the level of support provided throughout players’ playing and post-playing careers.” During the release, union leader Tony Clark stated, "The diversity of our player fraternity makes our game better." The announcement comes after the sport’s minor league players elected to join the MLBPA in September, increasing the current membership to more than 5,000 players.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 offseason. A compendium from several MLB sources Yordan Álvarez named to the 2022 All-MLB First Team. Álvarez, who split his time between designated hitter (77 starts) and left field (56 starts), hit .306 with a career-high 37 home runs, 97 RBIs and a 1.019 OPS. He ranked second in the AL in hard-hit percentage (60 percent), on-base percentage (.406), slugging percentage (.613) and OPS, third in home runs and fourth in batting average and runs scored (95). Álvarez became the first Cuban-born player to be named to the All-MLB First Team since the awards began in 2019. Yasiel Puig in Attendance at 2022 Winter Meetings. The 31-year-old outfielder who played seven big league seasons between 2013 and 2019 is one of the players that is in attendance at this year's winter meetings in San Diego, The Enquirer's Bobby Nightengale reported. For many at the Winter Meetings, Puig seems confident his legal problems will be resolved. Puig slashed .277/.348/.823 over seven Major League seasons. He last played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians in 2019. After being acquired by the Indians in a trade for right hander pitcher Trevor Bauer, Puig batted .297 with a .377 On Base Percentage and .800 OPS in 49 games for Cleveland. Puig played for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League in South Korea in 2022 batting .277/.368/.474 with 21 homers and six steals in 126 games. Last week, the Kiwoom Heroes announced they would not be renewing Yasiel Puig's contract.the Kiwoom Heroes have decided not to renew Yasiel Puig's contract for the 2023 season. In the debut of the IV Caribbean Cup, Cuba defeated the US Virgin Islands 9-0. Cuba (1-0) defeated the US Virgin Islands (0-2) 9-0 in its debut in the IV Caribbean Baseball Cup in Nassau, Bahamas. The Cubans had right hander José R. Rodríguez as the winning pitcher, completing six shoutout innings allowing only two hits while striking out one and walking other. Cuba will play Puerto Rico (0-1) tonight at 7:00 pm, local time. Lorenzo Quintana in Cuba's preliminary roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Quintana appears among the 50 men that Cuba would have announced in its preliminary roster for the 2023 World Classic, as reported by Francys Romero in Twitter. Quintana, a 33-year-old catcher from Pinar del Río, Cuba, played six seasons (2008-2014) with Pinar del Río in the Cuban League, before leaving the island in 2015. He was signed as an international free agent by Houston in 2017 and since 2018 has remained in the Minor League system, where, in four years has a slash line of 276/.333/.490 with 51 HR and 190 RBI in 300 games. In 2022 Quintana batted .242/.305/.468 with personal professional records in home runs (14) and RBI (54). (Cover Page: Yordan Álvarez/Graphic design by Matt Sisneros)

Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 offseason. A compendium from several MLB sources According to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.com, the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization have decided not to renew Yasiel Puig's contract for the 2023 season. Puig is currently embroiled in a legal matter involving an illegal gambling operation and recently withdrew from an agreement to plead guilty to a felony charge. The former big league outfielder was charged with lying to federal law enforcement officials investigating an illegal gambling ring. The 31-year-old outfielder hasn't appeared in the majors since the 2019 campaign and batted .277/.368/.474 with 21 homers and six steals in 126 games in 2022 with the Kiwoom Heroes. Oscar Colás could be White Sox right fielder in 2023. As you know, AJ Pollock opted out of his contract to become a free agent ahead of the 2023 season. This leaves the White Sox with some holes in the corner outfield positions to fill, with one potential replacement coming from within the organization. According to GM Rick Hahn, who met with the media in November, the White Sox are not ruling out the possibility of minor leaguer Oscar Colás serving as the team’s right fielder next season. “We think a lot of Oscar Colás,” Hahn said courtesy of Daryl Van Schouwen. “Don’t lose sight of that. Doesn’t mean there won’t be external outfield additions but I don’t want him to get lost in your offseason analyses of where we are.” Colás, MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 White Sox prospect, had quite an incredible 2022 season. He played primarily in High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, where he hit .309/.367/.516 with 21 home runs and 75 runs batted in. Incredibly, Colás performed better in Double-A, which is notoriously known for being one of the more difficult places to hit. The Cuban owned a .927 OPS in 51 games in Birmingham, compared to a .844 OPS in 59 games in Winston-Salem. When ascended to Triple-A, in just seven games, the 24-year-old still turned heads with a slash of .387/.424/.645 (12-for-31) that included two homers, four RBI, and five runs scored.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 offseason. A compendium from several MLB sources Yasiel Puig has withdrawn an agreement to plead guilty in connection with an illegal gambling ring. Puig is charged with lying to federal investigators who were looking into the gambling operation, and the indication earlier this month was that the former MLB outfielder would plead guilty in United States District Court. "I want to clear my name," Puig said in a statement Wednesday. "I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit." Puig’s attorney, Keri Axel, told the Los Angeles Times that “significant new evidence" has led to a change in approach to the case. The belief of the defense is that Puig might have been entrapped. "Mr. Puig, who has a third-grade education, had untreated mental-health issues, and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him,", Axel added .Puig played in the majors from 2013 to 2019 but there is no evidence in the plea agreement that he bet on baseball. The White Sox announced Tuesday that they have hired Braves assistant hitting coach José Castro to be their next hitting coach. Castro, born in Havana, Cuba in 1958, had served as the assistant hitting coach for the Braves for the past eight seasons. Castro played 14 minor league seasons between 1977-90. He’s spent the past three-plus decades in various instructional roles, including a stint as interim hitting coach with the 2008 Mariners. This’ll be his first time taking the lead role on a full-time basis. Castro was one of two assistant hitting coaches in Atlanta, pairing in that role with Bobby Magallanes. KC Royals losing infield coordinator Eddie Rodríguez to White Sox. Former Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol has plucked a pair of coaches from the organization to join his coaching staff with the AL Central Division rival Chicago White Sox. Grifol, hired by the White Sox for his first managerial post earlier this offseason, will have Mike Tosar on his staff as the major league field coordinator, and Cuban Eddie Rodríguez will serve as the third base coach. Rodríguez, 63 and from Havana, Cuba, has spent 40 years as a coach in professional baseball. He had two separate stints with the Royals. He most recently served as the minor-league infield coordinator for the past six seasons. Rodríguez’s coaching resume includes several stops as a member of major-league staffs with the Royals as third base coach (2011-13), Seattle Mariners first base coach, bench coach for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks (first base coach, third base coach) and third base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 offseason. A compendium from several MLB sources José Abreu signed a three-year, $58.5 million contract with the Astros. The agreement was first reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale and has now been officially announced by the Astros. Abreu will be introduced with a press conference at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday morning. The soon-to-be 36-year-old is set to make $19.5 million per season on a deal that runs through his age-38 campaign. It's a lot of money and Abreu's power is probably fading, but he seems like a perfect fit for Houston nonetheless. Expect him to remain an RBI machine with the reigning World Series champs. The defending World Series champion Astros were in desperate need of offensive upgrades at both first base and designated hitter, and managed to shore up both weaknesses by landing Abreu on a multi-year deal. The 35-year-old veteran first baseman remains a certifiable middle-of-the-order force, despite struggling last year in his final season with the White Sox. It's a phenomenal landing spot as he'll join Houston's loaded lineup in an extremely hitter-friendly home ballpark. With his contract for the 2023 season resolved, Abreu could also be the next Cuban star announcing his commitment to Team Cuba for the 2023 WBC. Houston Astros Still Interested in Re-Signing Yulieski Gurriel. The Astros are interested in Yulieski Gurriel as a utility-man for the 2023 season, Michael Schwab of The Juice Box Journal reported Monday. Gurriel — who played only first base in 2022 — has stretched to third base and second base in previous seasons. In his professional career, Gurriel has played primarily at first base, but he began his career at the hot corner. If the Astros look to flex versatility in the 38-year-old infielder, the bench could find emergency depth at third base and second base. Gurriel could also be in the designated hitter role some nights, or play first base on nights when Abreu is DH. After all, Gurriel is a Gold Glove winner.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 offseason. A compendium from several MLB sources Lázaro Armenteros commits to play for Team Cuba in 2023 World Baseball Classic 23-years-old Armenteros, a Minor League player from Oakland, announced Friday he intends to play in the 2023 WBC. Armenteros was supposed to be the next great Cuban star in the Majors, and even five years ago was named the next Yoenis Céspedes. However, after five years into his professional career, Armenteros has not reached its potential. Armenteros has never reached the Double A level, this year he played at the A+ level slashing .261/.376/.479 with 10 HR, and 26 RBI in 56 Games and 158 PA, but he also struck out 86 times. Armenteros has 591 strikeouts in 379 career games, that's one of the reasons the A's didn't promote him. Orioles' Yusniel Díaz: Loses spot on 40-man roster. Díaz cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reported. The 26-year-old received his first taste of the majors in 2022 but appeared in only one game as a pinch hitter. Diaz had a .252/.350/.362 slash line with six home runs, 34 RBI and nine steals in 70 games at Triple-A Norfolk. Guillermo Heredia has agreed to a one-year contract with the SSG Landers in the Korea Baseball Organization. This deal will reportedly be for around $1 million guaranteed. Heredia had been playing with the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Winter League, but he'll step away now that he has inked a deal with the Landers. The 31-year-old outfielder was non-tendered by the Braves on Friday after hitting just .158/.220/.342 with three homers and eight RBI in 82 plate appearances during the 2022 season.