The Gigantes del Cibao of LIDOM announced their latest imports this week, including a pair of Colombian players who spent the 2025 season in Nippon Professional Baseball.
One of them is infielder Jordan Díaz. The former Oakland Athletics player spent all of 2025 with the Orix Buffaloes, splitting time between the top roster and the minor league team. Considered one of Orix’s top imports, he struggled in NPB, hitting .228/.290/.307 with six extra-base hits in 50 games. This will be his first winter-ball appearance in the Dominican Republic. The Gigantes, who sit in last place at 7-11, are looking for a boost in the lineup and hope Díaz can provide it.
The club also signed right-hander Tayron Guerrero. He spent 2025 with both the top team and minor league affiliate of the Chiba Lotte Marines, marking his second stint with the club after pitching for them in 2022. A former Major League pitcher, Guerrero appeared in three combined seasons with the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins in 2016, 2018 and 2019, making 113 appearances with a 5.77 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 106 innings. Since then, he has pitched in the minors and in winter ball in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, along with his previous stint in Japan.
Guerrero opened the 2025 season on Chiba Lotte’s top roster. He threw 43 pitches at 100 mph or higher—more than the rest of NPB combined, which totaled 32. Despite being the league’s hardest-throwing reliever, frequently touching 100 mph, he struggled with a 6.41 ERA and was demoted. In the minors, he posted a 2.25 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 20 innings. The Gigantes will look for him to help stabilize the bullpen as they try to climb out of the basement.
Both Díaz and Guerrero are candidates to suit up for Colombia at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Neither played in the qualifiers in March but will likely be considered for selection. Colombia will be grouped with Puerto Rico, Canada, Cuba and Panama from March 6–11 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as it seeks to advance past the opening round for the first time in its history.
Photo: Oakland Athletics third baseman Jordan Diaz chases down a grounder during the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game against the San Francisco Giants Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
