The Caliente de Durango of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol have acquired infielder Jonathan Villar and pitcher Nestor Anguamea from the Algodoneros de Union Laguna in exchange for pitcher Lupe Chavez.
The slick-fielding Villar, a native of La Vega, Dominican Republic, played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels from 2010-23. He batted .255 with 101 home runs and 343 RBIs in 1,032 MLB games.
In three seasons with the Algodoneros de Union Laguna, Villar batted .312 with 18 home runs and 137 RBIs. He’s a veteran of 11 seasons of winter ball, playing the bulk of his 234 winter games with the Aguilas Cibaenas of LIDOM. He’s a career .236/.326/.319 hitter with eight homers and 69 RBIs in winter ball.
Anguamea is primarily a middle reliever, pitching for the Algodoneros in 2019, 2021, and 2025, the Mariachis de Guadalajara in 2022 and 2023 and the Charros de Jalisco in 2024. In seven seasons, he has thrown 229 innings with a 5.86 ERA and a 1.838 WHIP, 153 strikeouts, and 131 walks.
Chavez last pitched in the LMB with Durango in 2023. In 27 career LMB games, he has a 5.91 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 31 walks in 66 innings of work. In five seasons of winter ball with Culiacan, Guasave, and Los Mochis of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, he has a 3.37 ERA in 144 1/3 innings with 115 strikeouts and 54 walks.
Photo: Jonathan Villar #23 of the Águilas Cibaeñas connects for a double in the top of the fifth inning against the Tigres del Licey at Citi Field on November 11, 2023 in New York City. The Las Águilas Cibaeñas defeated Los Tigres del Licey 3-0. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)
