There will be no Caribbean Series in Venezuela in 2026.  

Guadalajara, Mexico, replaced Caracas as the host site of February’s international tournament, an annual clash of winter league champions. The five participating teams will be the champions of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, Puerto Rico’s LBPRC, the Dominican Republic’s LIDOM, Panama’s ProBeis, and a second team representing the LAMP.  

As things stand at the moment, the champion from the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional, Venezuela’s top professional baseball league, will not attend.  

Venezuela continues to face political and economic issues, including a high rate of poverty and military tension with the United States.  

Still, baseball reigns supreme in Venezuela, over other sports like soccer and basketball. The presence of Venezuelan stars in Major League Baseball helps grow the game in the country tenfold.  

Before the clock strikes midnight and the calendar flips from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1, World Baseball Network examines the highlights of the baseball landscape in Venezuela in 2025.  

January – The Cardenales de Lara Win LVBP Championship  

The LVBP’s Cardenales de Lara won their seventh LVBP title in January, overcoming a 0-2 series deficit in the best-of-seven series against the Bravos de Margarita.  

The Cardenales won Game 6 of the series 9-0 at their home stadium, Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutierrez in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Shortstop Ildemaro Vargas won MVP honors by recording 15 hits with two home runs in the series.   

Representing Venezuela at the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico, the Cardenales finished in fourth place – they went 2-2 in the preliminary round but lost to LIDOM’s Leones del Escogido in the semi-finals and the LBPRC’s Indios de Mayaguez in the third place game.   

February – Cardenales de Lara No-Hit Japan Breeze at Caribbean Series

For the second year in a row, a starting pitcher for the LVBP champion spun history at the Caribbean Series.

In 2024, Angel Padron tossed the second no-hitter at the Caribbean Series, stifling Nicaragua as the Tiburones de La Guaira marched towards winter ball’s biggest prize. In 2025, Cardenales de Lara starter Jesus Vargas no-hit the Japan Breeze over eight innings in a game shortened by the mercy rule. A three-run homer by Alexi Amarista in the top of the ninth gave the Cardenales a 10-0 lead and etched Vargas’ name in the history books.

May – Ozzie Guillen Hired as Tigres de Aragua Manager  

Ozzie Guillen won a World Series championship as the manager of the Chicago White Sox in 2005, and was at the helm when the LVBP’s Tiburones de La Guaira won their first Caribbean Series title in franchise history at loanDepot Park in Miami in 2024.  

He officially became the next manager of the Tigres de Aragua in May, but the team is 26-28 so far this season, good for seventh place in the eight-team league with just two games left to play.  

Guillen last managed in MLB in 2012, with the Miami Marlins going 69-93. He won the American League Rookie of the Year and earned three All-Star selections during a 16-year playing career from 1985-2000, spending 13 of those years seasons with the White Sox.  

September – Buddy Bailey Passes Away; Won Six LVBP Titles as a Manager  

Manager Buddy Bailey, who won six LVBP championships with the Tigres de Aragua, passed away in September, aged 68.  

Bailey also led the Tigres to a Caribbean Series title in 2009 and managed for 36 seasons in the affiliated minor leagues. His managerial experience in the United States included stints in the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs organizations at numerous levels in the minors.  

WBN’s Leif Skodnick noted Bailey’s career accomplishments at the time of his passing in September, most notably, his success in Venezuela.  

October – Eugenio Suarez Wins Second Luis Aparicio Award   

In October, Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez won his second Luis Aparicio Award, given to MLB’s best Venezuelan player each season.  

Suarez previously won the award in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds. He finished fourth in MLB with 49 home runs and fifth in RBIs with 118 in 2025, with his offensive production staying consistent despite a mid-season trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Mariners.  

The slugger turns 35 in July and is currently a free agent and a two-time All-Star. He’s played parts of five seasons with the LVBP’s Leones del Caracas, last making an appearance with the club during the winter of 2024-25.  

December – Wilyer Abreu Wins Pepsi Jonron Festival, Ronald Acuna Jr. Among the Competitors  

Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu won the 23rd Pepsi Jonron Festival on Dec. 1, defeating fellow Venezuelan Andres Chaparro in the final round. Abreu hit nine home runs in the finals of the derby and 22 in 2025 with the Red Sox.   

The event took place at Estadio Jose Bernando Perez in Valencia, the home stadium of the LVBP’s Navegantes del Magallanes. The other seven participants included Ronald Acuna Jr., Jadher Areinamo, Maikel Garcia, Jackson Chourio, Yasiel Puig, Salvador Perez, and Francisco Renteria.  

Abreu, 26, was born in Maracaibo and made his LVBP debut during the 2017-18 season with the Aguilas del Zulia. The left-handed hitter returned for nine games with the Aguilas the following winter, and last played six games with the club in 2020-21.   

Photo: Jesus Vargas of Venezuela’s Cardenales de Lara struck out seven and walked three, throwing eight innings of no-hit ball against the Japan Breeze at the Caribbean Series. (Photo Courtesy of CBPC)