Winter ball is coming to the United States.
The Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico announced that franchises will relocate to Tucson, Ariz., and Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, for the 2025-26 season, approving moves by the Sultanes de Monterrey franchise to Tepic and the Mayos de Navojoa to Tucson.
The Sultanes move was approved last month, and the move was made official at this week’s league meetings in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Playing out of the Coloso del Pacifico, the team will be branded as the Jaguares de Nayarit.
¡ES OFICIAL! 🤩
Jaguares de Nayarit llega a la LAMP 🐆
Mayos jugará en Tucson, Arizona 🪓🏜️🇺🇸¡Comienza una nueva era en la LAMP! 🥳#LigaARCO ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/PpEaDaSIVL
— Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico (@Liga_Arco) May 20, 2025
After months of rumors of a potential relocation, the league confirmed that the Mayos de Navojoa will relocate to Tucson, Arizona, for the 2025-26 season, and will play their home games at the Kino Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. Next season will be the first time that a team based in a U.S. state could potentially play for a Caribbean Series title, should Tucson win the LAMP and advance to the 2026 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela.
In Navajoa, one of the smallest markets in winter baseball, the franchise had struggled to fill the stadium, drawing an average of 3,961 fans over 34 home games in 2024-25 at the 11,500-seat Estadio Manuel ”Ciclon” Echeverria. It was at least the second time in three years that the Mayos finished last in the 10-team league in attendance, after averaging 3,243 in 2022-23. Historical attendance information for the LAMP is not readily available via the league’s website or media guide.
“The reality is that Navojoa has been going through a crisis since the pandemic,” said Ingieniero Vega, the president of the LAMP’s board, several months ago when the rumors of the move began to circulate. “Remember, they didn’t have fans, and the second year was restricted, but the number of seats hasn’t improved, and there’s nothing else going on right now. All the speculation is welcome. Today, a committee was formed to help the League grow and for Navojoa to grow with us.”
The Mayos have called Navojoa home since 1959, winning LAMP championships in 1979 under manager Chuck Goggin and in 2000 under Lorenzo Bundy. They finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-43 record, finishing ninth overall, and missing the playoffs. The club finished in the bottom three each of the last three seasons, with their last winning season coming in 2021-22. Navojoa last won a playoff series in 2017-18.
¡ADIÓS NAVOJOA!
Los Mayos de Navojoa se van oficialmente de la @Liga_Arco. La franquicia se muda a Tucson, Arizona y jugarán en Kino Sports Complex. pic.twitter.com/PzlmZIRKp4
— Miguel Lugo (@_MiguelLugo) May 20, 2025
With a population of approximately 165,000, Navojoa is the smallest city in the LAMP, with a population of 90,000 fewer people than the next smallest city in the league, Los Mochis.
The Sultanes, with a history in the LMB that dates back to 1939, joined the LAMP in 2019 as an expansion franchise, along with the Algodoneros de Guasave. With the exception of Monterrey, the LAMP’s franchises are all located on Mexico’s west coast, which puts Monterrey on a geographical island.
Tepic, the capital of the state of Nayarit, opened a new stadium, El Coloso del Pacifico, in the Santa Teresita neighborhood last fall. It hosted group play games in the 2024 WBSC Premier12, but lacked a full-time tenant. The city has a metropolitan population approaching 500,000, and with 9,480 seats, the ballpark will be the smallest in the LAMP if the franchise relocates.
Photo: Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz., will host a team in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico in the 2025-26 season. (AP Photo)
