Former Major League first baseman and outfielder Ronald Guzman will return to the club where his LIDOM career began for the 2025-26 winter season.
Guzman signed as a free agent with the Toros del Este, for whom he played in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, appearing in 17 games and going 5-for-36. He then signed with the Gigantes del Cibao for the 2018-19 season and after a hiatus, the 2021-22 season through last winter. In total, Guzman has appeared in 89 LIDOM games with two clubs, going 77-for-270 with seven homers and 25 RBIs. After going hitless in one appearance with the Gigantes last winter, Guzman went to Venezuela, where he appeared in 26 games, going 23-for-91 with three homers and 19 RBIs to help the Cardenales de Lara to the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional title.
The La Vega, Dominican Republic-native played parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, appearing in 246 career games with 31 homers and a .225/.302/.410 batting line. He last appeared in MLB in 2022, playing three games and going hitless in six at-bats with the New York Yankees.
Omar Minaya Joins Toros’ Front Office – Former Montreal Expos and New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya has joined the Toros front office as a senior advisor to the president and board of directors.
Minaya previously served as the general manager of the club for the 1985-86 season, when the team was branded as the Azucareros del Este, and as an advisor to the team’s president in 2014.
Omar Minaya se une a nuestras oficinas como Asesor Senior del Presidente y la Junta Directiva. Un un hombre de béisbol que eleva nuestra visión.
¡Bienvenido a tu casa, Omar! pic.twitter.com/rWHOPO68uS
— Toros Del Este (@TorosdelEste) May 5, 2025
Minaya was the assistant general manager of the Mets under Steve Phillips before he was named general manager of the Montreal Expos in 2002. He came back to New York in 2004 as the Mets’ general manager, and has also held executive roles with the San Diego Padres, and the Major League Baseball Players’ Association. He is currently a senior advisor in baseball operations for the New York Yankees.
Omar Minaya Appointed to Italian American Baseball Foundation Advisory Board
Five Free Agents, Three Returners Signed – Five new faces will be in the corral for the Toros when the LIDOM season starts in the fall. First baseman Sandber Pimentel, left-handed relievers José Fernández and Joely Rodríguez, and right-handers Jesús Liranzo and Yohan Ramírez all have joined the club as free agents for the 2025-26 season.
Pimentel spent the 2024-25 LIDOM season with the Leones del Escogido, batting .254/.361/.465 with an .826 OPS, and appeared in two games for the Leones at the 2025 Caribbean Series, hitting a two-run homer for his only hit in six at-bats.
In nine LIDOM season with the Estrellas Orientales and Leones del Escogido, Pimentel has hit .220/.361/.398 with nine homers and 28 RBIs in 122 games.
Fernandez, a Miami Marlins farmhand, will make his LIDOM debut this winter. He made 18 appearances in the minor leagues this year, split between High-A Jupiter and the Marlins’ Florida Complex League team, throwing 29 innings with a 6.89 ERA.
Rodriguez has played six seasons in LIDOM, all with the Gigantes del Cibao, throwing 67 2/3 innings with a 4.12 ERA across 46 appearances, and has 182 career appearances in MLB with the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Yankees, Mets, and Boston Red Sox, posting a 4.80 ERA in 170 2/3 innings.
Liranzo has made 80 appearances in LIDOM with the Gigantes del Cibao, Estrellas Orientales, and Aguilas Cibaenas over seven seasons, and has a 3.70 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings with Triple-A Nashville in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization in 2025.
Ramirez has played six seasons in MLB with eight teams, making 147 appearances and throwing 182 2/3 innings with 192 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.369. He has played seven LIDOM seasons, six with the Aguilas Cibaenas and one with the Leones del Escogido.
Estevez, 11 Coaches Form Toros 2025-26 Staff – Eleven coaches will assist manager Victor Estevez in the 2025-26 season, with Brayan Pena serving as bench coach, Jordan Norberto as pitching coach, Raywilly Gomez as hitting coach, and Daniel de Mondesert serving as assistant manager. Christopher Madera will coach third base and Juan Ciriaco will coach first base, while Julian Yan will be the Toros’ assistant hitting coach. Jumbo Diaz has been named bullpen coach and Gabriel Hernandez will be the pitching strategist, Danilo Sanchez will be the catching instructor, and Rafael Rijo will serve as a coach in 2025-26.
WBN LIDOM: https://worldbaseball.com/league/dominican-republic/lidom/
Photo: Omar Minaya speaks to the media in the New York Mets clubhouse at Citi Field in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
