Panama’s Federales de Chiriqui will have two former Major Leaguers when they head to Guadalajara, Mexico for the 2026 Caribbean Series next month.
The Federales announced that catcher Christian Bethancourt and infielder Johan Camargo will be on the roster for the Caribbean Series, which will also feature the champions of the Dominican Republic’s LIDOM, Puerto Rico’s LBPRC, and the Tomateros de Culiacan from Mexico’s Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, as well as that league’s other finalist.
Bethancourt, 33, played for the Tigres del Licey in LIDOM this winter, appearing in 14 games and batting .120/.154/.120 with three singles in 25 at-bats. He spent the 2025 season at Triple-A Buffalo in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, batting .173 with seven homers and 21 RBIs in 196 at-bats. He appeared in 428 MLB games with the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Oakland A’s, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, and Chicago Cubs across eight different seasons, batting .229 with 35 homers and 135 RBIs. He previously appeared in the Caribbean Series representing the Dominican Republic in 2018 with the Aguilas Cibaenas and represented Panama in 2022 and 2024.
Camargo, 32, did not play this winter, and his last action came in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol with the Tecolotes de Los Dos Laredos in 2025, where he appeared in 77 games for the Binationals and batted .301/.367/.445 with 10 homers and 49 RBIs. In 428 MLB games over seven seasons, Camargo batted .254 with 37 homers and 161 RBIs in 1,243 at-bats. A native of Panama City, Camargo has made two previous trips to the Caribbean Series, winning a championship with LIDOM’s Aguilas Cibaenas in 2021 and finishing third with Panama in 2024.
The 2026 Caribbean Series will be played at Estadio Panamericano in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico from Feb. 1-7, 2026.
Photo: Johan Camargo #10 of the San Francisco Giants turns a double play after forcing out Eddie Rosario #8 of the Atlanta Braves at second base during the sixth inning at Truist Park on August 19, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
