Just because your favorite team has been eliminated from the Major League Baseball playoffs doesn’t mean that baseball is over until pitchers and catchers report to spring training in February.
Across Latin America and several other places around the world, the new baseball season is just getting started.
If you have a question about winter baseball, hopefully you’ll find the answer below.
Which Are the Major Winter Leagues? Which Are the Minor Winter Leagues? – The four leagues that are members of the Confederacion de Beisbol Profesional del Caribe send their champion to the Caribbean Series each year are Puerto Rico’s LBPRC, the Dominican Republic’s LIDOM, Venezuela’s Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional, and Mexico’s Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico.
There are also active winter leagues in Argentina, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, Curacao, and Cuba, with differing levels of play, schedules, and playoffs.
Are There Winter Leagues Outside of Latin America? – Yes! The two most notable winter leagues outside of Latin America are the Australian Baseball League (which is actually a summer league, as it’s summer in the southern hemisphere) and Baseball United, which will play its first season in Dubai in November and December. There are two levels (“tryout” and “advanced”) of play in the Japan Winter League, which plays in Okinawa. The Asia Winter Baseball League features teams of players from Nippon Professional Baseball, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and the Japan Amateur Baseball Association.
What is the Caribbean Series? – The Caribbean Series is an annual postseason tournament that pits the champions of several winter leagues in Latin America against each other. This year’s Caribbean Series will be held at Estadio Monumental Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela, and Estadio Forum La Guaira in Macuto, Venezuela.
What Leagues Are Sending Champions to the Caribbean Series This Year? – Similar to the 2023 Caribbean Series, which was held in Caracas and La Guaira and featured eight teams, Venezuela’s LVBP is planning for the Caribbean Series to be a big event again in 2026. So far, the four CBPC leagues and invitees from Panama’s ProBeis league, Cuba’s Serie Nacional, and Colombia’s Liga Beisbol Profesional Colombiano are confirmed to be playing in the 2026 Caribbean Series, which will again be held in Caracas and La Guaira.
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What Leagues Are Sending Teams to the Serie de Las Americas? – Like the Caribbean Series, the Serie de Las Americas is a postseason winter ball tournament run by the Asociation de Ligas Profesionales de Beisbol de Las Americas and featuring champions from various leagues. Currently, teams from Cuba, Colombia, Nicaragua, Argentina, Curaçao, and Panama are expected to play in the SDLA, which will be held January 24-30 at Estadio Rod Carew in Panama City, Panama. With teams from Cuba’s Serie Nacional, Colombia’s LBPC, and Panama’s ProBeis having been invited to play in the Caribbean Series as well, it is unknown whether the same team will represent those leagues in both events or if an alternate representative will be sent to one of the tournaments.
Who Makes the Playoffs? – Each league has a different playoff format, and for the sake of brevity, we’ll explain the playoff formats of the four CBPC leagues.
Puerto Rico’s LBPRC, a six-team league, has the simplest playoff format. The top four teams at the end of the regular season, with the first-place team playing the fourth-place team and the second-place team facing the third-place team in a best-of-seven series in the first round. The winners of the first-round series face off in a best-of-seven championship series.
In the Dominican Republic’s LIDOM, the top four teams from the regular season advance to the 18-game round robin playoff. The top two teams in the round robin, which ends when two teams have been eliminated, then play a best-of-seven championship series.
Venezuela’s LVBP, an eight-team league, has the top four teams in the standings qualify for the round robin, with the fifth- and sixth-place teams playing a one-game play in for the final spot in the five-team, 16-game round robin. The top two teams in the round robin advance to the best-of-seven championship series.
The most interesting playoff qualification system is in Mexico’s LAMP, which divides the 68-game regular season into two halves. Teams are awarded a number of points based upon where they finish in the standings in each half, with first place getting 10 points, second place getting nine, and so on. The teams are seeded in order of total points for the playoffs, with the team with the highest number of points being seeded first, the team with the eighth-most points seeded eighth, and the teams with the ninth- and 10th-most points missing the playoffs. The teams then play traditional best-of-seven series until the championship is awarded.
Can Major Leaguers Play In Winter Ball? – Yes, players from Major League Baseball can, and do, play winter ball, though in far fewer numbers when playing winter ball gave MLB players a significant boost in salary. Generally, MLB players often need to obtain permission from their team to play winter ball, with rules on which players can play and how permission is granted or denied covered in the Winter League Agreement, a contract agreed to by Major League Baseball, the CBPC, and the four major winter leagues. Currently, there is no Winter League Agreement in force, so whether MLB players will be allowed to play will likely be decided by each organization. You’ll often see players hoping to get another MLB contract or a non-roster invite to spring training playing in winter ball in hopes of catching someone’s eye. For example, Gary Sanchez will be playing in LIDOM this year as he tries to get a contract for the 2026 MLB season.
Do Prospects Play In Winter Ball? – Yes, prospects do play in winter ball. Before he made his MLB debut with the New York Mets, Ronny Mauricio won the LIDOM MVP award with the Tigres del Licey in 2022-23. Of course, Mauricio’s story took a sad turn when he was injured playing winter ball the following season, which cost him the entire 2024 MLB season with the Mets. Last year, Junior Caminero powered the Leones del Escogido to the LIDOM title, hitting a memorable homer in Game 7 of the championship series.
Where Can I Find Statistics For Each Winter League? – Generally, each league’s website will have complete statistics, though you’ll need to know the Spanish words for the statistics. For example, the Spanish word for “strikeout” is “ponche” and an RBI is a “carrera impulsada,” or CI. Historical statistics can be difficult to find. Baseball Reference does not have complete winter ball statistics beyond the past five or six years, though a lot of statistics are available there. League websites and media guides (when available) are generally the best sources for historical statistics.
How to Watch – Each league has a different streaming partner, some of which you have to pay for, and some of which you don’t.
The Dominican Republic’s LIDOM is streamed live on MLB.tv with commentary in Spanish. You’ll need to have a subscription to watch.
Puerto Rico’s LBPRC has streamed its games live on the league’s YouTube page for free.
Games from the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico can be streamed live via the league’s YouTube page. There is a monthly subscription fee.
Venezuela’s LVBP streams its games live on BeisbolPlay, which charges a fee. Currently, a season subscription for 2025-26 is US$22.99.
Photo: Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is one of the most famous ballparks in Latin America. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
