The Aguilas Cibaeñas, Estrellas Orientales, Gigantes del Cibao, and the Leones del Escogido all added reinforcements in the LIDOM Draft on Dec. 24.
These four teams will battle it out in the four-team, 18-game round robin playoff, with the top two teams playing in a best-of-seven series with the right to represent the Dominican Republic at the 2026 Caribbean Series in on the line. The round robin will be played from December 27 to January. 17.
¡Listos para la postemporada! ?
Estos son los 24 jugadores elegidos por los cuatro equipos clasificados ? ? ? ?#LIDOM #DraftDeReingresoRR pic.twitter.com/RVnm5vGgzq
— LIDOM (@LIDOMRD) December 24, 2025
Aguilas Cibaeñas – The Aguilas Cibaeñas drafted infielder Cristhian Adames, pitchers Oscar De La Cruz, Misaell Tamarez, Yunior Marte, Carlos Belén, and Andrew Pérez.
Adames was the best hitter for the Tigres del Licey this season, hitting three home runs, recording 22 RBIs, posting a .308 batting average and an OPS of .823 in 169 at-bats. Adames will help them to secure their infield and has played first base, third base, and shortstop this season.
Adames signed with the Colorado Rockies as an undrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2007. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Rockies in 2014, and he played parts of four seasons with them through the 2017 season. He played his last season with the San Francisco Giants in 2019, and he hit two home runs in 328 MLB at-bats.
De La Cruz pitched for the Estrellas Orientales this season. He pitched 49 2/3 innings with 54 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.81. De La Cruz, 30, will help provide a reliable option in the rotation or bullpen. De La Cruz was signed by the Chicago Cubs to a minor league deal out of the Dominican Republic in 2012 but never made it to the MLB.
Toros del Este – The Toros del Este drafted pitchers J.C. Mejía, Anderson Severino, Enyel De Los Santos, Enny Romero, Jhan Mariñez, and infielder Sergio Alcantara.
De Los Santos is a reliever for the Houston Astros and pitched for the Tigres del Licey this winter. He was signed as an international free agent by the Seattle Mariners out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, and has pitched for nine MLB teams, and he also pitched for the Atlanta Braves last season. De Los Santos has pitched 314 1/3 innings with 323 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.44 in MLB.
Alcantara played for the Tigres del Licey this winter, and he also got four MLB at-bats with the San Francisco Giants but spent most of the summer in Triple-A. He signed as an international free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks for $700,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2012 and made his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers; he also has had some time in the big leagues with the Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, and the San Diego Padres. Alcantara had 12 home runs, 47 RBIs, and a slash line of .207/.278/.340 in 450 MLB at-bats.
Gigantes del Cibao – The Gigantes del Cibao drafted catcher Francisco Mejía, infielder Gustavo Nūñez, pitcher Luis Frias, outfielder Ismael Munguía, pitcher Ofreidy Gónez, and pitcher Neftali Feliz.
Mejía played for the Tigres del Licey this winter, and he has also played seven MLB seasons. Mejía, 30, signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic with the Cleveland Indians for $100,000 and made his MLB debut with the Indians in 2017. He has also played for the Padres and Tampa Bay Rays. He was on the Rays postseason roster in 2021 and 2022, and has 29 home runs, 118 RBIs, and a slash line of .239/.284/.394 in 1,023 MLB at-bats.
Feliz pitched for the Estrellas Orientales this winter, and he was lights out with an ERA of 0.56 in 16 1/3 innings with 13 strikeouts. Feliz was a highly accomplished MLB reliever, winning 2010 American League Rookie of the Year and earning an All-Star appearance the same year, and appearing in the World Series twice with the Texas Rangers. He made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2009, and his last MLB appearance was in 2021 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Feliz pitched 393 1/3 innings with 366 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.55 in MLB.
Leones del Escogido – The Leones del Escogido drafted pitchers Patrick Weigel, Jefry Yan, Radhamès Liz, outfielder Ramiel Tapia, infielder Jorge Mateo, and catcher Michael De La Cruz.
Mateo played with the Estrellas Orientales and Leones del Escogido this winter. Mateo, 30, signed with the New York Yankees as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2012 for $250,000. Mateo was the Yankees’ top-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline in 2016, but he never made it to MLB with them, and he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 2017 in the deal for starting pitcher Sonny Gray.
The Athletics traded Mateo to the Padres on June 30, 2020, and Mateo made his MLB debut with the Padres that season. Mateo was on the move again in 2021 and was released and claimed by the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 5. Mateo played with the Orioles through the 2025 season, and his club option was declined this offseason.
Mateo is known for his speed, and he will be a weapon on the base paths with 106 career stolen bases in 487 MLB games. He led the American League with 35 stolen bases in 2022, and has 30 home runs, 121 RBIs, and a slash line of .221/.266/.363 in 1,411 MLB at-bats.
The Leones also signed former MLB pitcher Jose Urquidy on Dec. 26. Urquidy is arguably now the most accomplished starting pitcher in the LIDOM circuit, and pitched for Venados de Mazatlan in Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico this winter.
Urquidy, 30, signed with the Houston Astros as an international free agent out of Mexico in 2015. He made his MLB debut with them in 2019 and pitched with them for five seasons, highlighted by three World Series appearances in 2019, 2021, and 2022. He helped them win the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies by pitching three scoreless innings with four strikeouts in 2022.
In 2024, he didn’t pitch due to Tommy John Surgery, and he pitched just 2 1/3 innings for the Tigers in 2025. He is currently an MLB free agent. Urquidy pitched 407 1.3 innings with 329 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.00 in his MLB career.
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Upcoming Round Robin Schedule
All times Eastern Standard Time
Saturday, Dec. 27
4 p.m. – Leones del Escogido at Aguilas Cibaenas
6:30 p.m. – Gigantes del Cibao at Toros del Este
Sunday, Dec. 28
3 p.m. – Toros del Este at Leones del Escogido
4 p.m. – Aguilas Cibaenas at Gigantes del Cibao
Monday, Dec. 29
6 p.m. – Leones del Escogido at Gigantes del Cibao
6:30 p.m. – Toros del Este at Aguilas Cibaenas
Tuesday, Dec. 30
6:15 p.m. – Gigantes del Cibao at Leones del Escogido
6:30 p.m. – Aguilas Cibaenas at Toros del Este
Photo: The Aguilas Cibaenas have named Luis Urueta their starter for the first game of the 2025-26 LIDOM round robin. (Photo courtesy of LIDOM)