Tonight at 11:59 p.m. Central Mexican Time is the deadline for teams in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol to make roster changes, including the addition of reinforcements, for the remainder of the 2026 regular season. At noon CMT Friday is the final deadline for waiver claims.
Rosters will be locked from midnight until Aug. 3, when a 24-hour window opens for teams to activate a player or make a trade before the final three-game series of the regular season.
The 93-game regular season concludes on Aug. 6, and the first round of the playoffs begin on Aug. in the Zona Sur and Aug. 10 in the Zona Norte.
The LMB’s Unique Playoff Format – The LMB playoffs start with the top six teams in both the Zona Norte and Zona Sur making the playoffs. The first round is seeded as you would expect, with the regular season division winner facing the sixth-place team, the second-place club facing the fifth-place club, and the third and fourth-place teams each meeting in a best-of-seven series.
That, of course, means that three teams advance by winning the first-round series. It also means that a fourth team is needed for the second round, so the team that loses a first-round series but wins the most games also advances to the second round, where the top remaining seed plays the series loser that advanced and the other two series winners face off, again in a best-of-seven series.
Last season provided a good example of how the system works. The sixth-seeded Charros de Jalisco upset the Zona Norte regular season champion Sultanes de Monterrey twice, beating them four games to three in the first round. The Sultanes advanced because they won three games in the first round and finished ahead of the Acereros de Monclova, who also won three games in the first round but lost their series in the regular season. The Sultanes won their second round series, sweeping the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, then faced the Charros again, falling four games to one as the Charros advanced to the Serie del Rey.
The winners face off in the Serie Campeonato, which determines the division’s representative in the Serie del Rey, the league’s championship series.
Ronnie Williams Heads to Olmecas – The Olmecas claimed the biggest prize in the Leones de Yucatan’s late-season fire sale, getting elite starter Ronnie Williams in exchange for Raúl Zoe Carrillo and the rights to Yucatan-born pitcher Daniel Nunez, who is pitching in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor-league system, splitting this season between the Arizona Complex League and High-A Visalia.
Williams, 31, won the championship in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional title last winter with the Navegantes del Magallanes, and has had the best year of his career with the Leones in 2026, throwing 70 1/3 innings across 15 starts with a 2.43 ERA, a 1.194 WHIP, 72 strikeouts and 29 walks.
Carillo, 34, has made three starts and worked mostly in relief for Tabasco, throwing 33 1/3 innings with a 5.94 ERA.
Jared Wetherbee to Sultanes de Monterrey – Starter Jared Wetherbee has been loaned by the Leones de Yucatan to the Sultanes de Monterrey. The Worcester, Mass.-native made eight starts for Yucatan, going 1-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 35 innings, a 1.340 WHIP, 34 strikeouts, and eight walks.
Roenis Elias, Brandon Brennan Head to Union Laguna – Cuban starter Roenis Elias has been loaded to the Algodoneros de Union Laguna from the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, and former Major Leaguer Brandon Brennan has been sent to the Algodoneros from the Leones de Yucatan.
Schedule Changed for Guerreros, Piratas Series – The three-game set between the Guerreros de Oaxaca and the Piratas de Campeche has been changed. Friday’s game has been moved to Saturday as part of a double header, with the third game to be played on Sunday. The series has big implications, as the Guerreros (39-36) and Piratas (37-34) enter the series tied for fourth place in the Zona Sur.
Where to Watch – All Liga Mexicana de Beisbol games are streamed live with a subscription on LMB TV, and a season subscription is on sale for MX$799 (about US$46) until April 30. Select games are streamed live on the YouTube page for Latin American network Claro Sports.
WBN Mexico: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mexico/
Photo: Ronnie Williams had a great season with the Leones, and will now head to the Olmecas de Tabasco to finish the season. (Photo courtesy of the Leones de Yucatan)
