The Aguilas Cibaenas celebrate after sweeping the 2023 Titanes del Caribe exhibition series at Citi Field. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)
According to a report on Dominican radio, the Aguilas Cibaenas and Tigres del Licey of LIDOM will each receive $1.32 million for participating in the 2024 Titanes del Caribe series.
Grandes en los Deportes posted on X on Tuesday that the two teams that headlined the 2023 event at Citi Field in New York would receive $1.32 million each, while the other four LIDOM teams would each receive $800,000. A fee would also be paid to FENAPEPRO, the union representing LIDOM players.
Depto de Averiguaciones: Licey y Aguilas recibirían US$1.32 millones cada uno por jugar en NY. También habría que pagar US$800 mil a los otros cuatro equipos de @LIDOMRD y la cuota de Fenapepro. Además el alquiler del estadio y otros gastos administrativos
— Grandes en los Deportes (@GrandesELD) June 4, 2024
So far, no details of a 2024 Titanes del Caribe series in New York have been released, though promoter Felix Cabrera told Grandes en los Deportes last month that the games are planned for Nov. 8-10, 2024, with teams yet to be determined.
In his May appearance on the show, Cabrera said that if the Tigres and Aguilas or LIDOM don’t want to participate in the series, he would seek teams from other leagues to play in it.
Along with the Dominican Republic, leagues in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Venezuela make up the membership of the Confederacion de Beisbol Profesional del Caribe, which runs the annual Caribbean Series. Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, and Curacao also have professional baseball leagues that play in the winter, as does Cuba’s Elite League. However, the strained diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States make an appearance by a Cuban team at the event unlikely.
In the inaugural Titanes del Caribe series, the Tigres del Licey faced the Aguilas Cibaenas in three exhibition games at Citi Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, in November 2023. The two teams playing in LIDOM, the Dominican Republic’s winter professional baseball league, are widely popular in the Dominican Republic and New York, which has a sizable Dominican community. He noted that last year’s event cost $6-7 million.
The 2023 Titanes del Caribe series drew 90,900 fans to Citi Field, and the rubber game of the series, which the Aguilas Cibaenas swept, drew 32,536 to the ballpark on a chilly Sunday afternoon in November.
