Two former Major Leaguers are headed to Cancun. Pitcher Carl Edwards Jr., with a decade of Major League Baseball experience, and outfielder Willie Calhoun have signed with the Tigres de Quintana Roo, bolstering the lineup of a club that finished last in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol‘s Zona Sur last season.
Edwards made 296 MLB appearances, all in relief, from 2015-24, posting a 3.54 ERA over 280 innings of work with 328 strikeouts and 148 walks. The bulk of Edwards’ MLB experience came with the Chicago Cubs from 2015-19, when he appeared in 192 games for the Northsiders, throwing 174 1/3 innings with a 3.30 ERA. He made one MLB appearance in 2024 with the San Diego Padres, facing three batters and allowing a hit, two walks, and throwing a wild pitch.
Over the winter, Edwards pitched for the Yaquis de Obregon in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, making four starts and throwing 23 innings with a 0.39 ERA, 16 strikeouts and six walks.
Edwards will shore up a pitching staff that saw only one pitcher who threw more than 10 innings, Jose Adames, post an ERA under 3.00 last season.
Calhoun has appeared in 369 MLB games over eight seasons, batting .241/.303/.391 with 42 homers and 141 RBIs, primarily playing left field and serving as a designated hitter. With the Los Angeles Angels, Calhoun appeared in 68 games in 2024, batting .245/.315/.380 with five homers and 20 RBIs, and played 48 games with Triple-A Salt Lake, batting .276/.370/.402 with four homers and 28 RBIs. Over the winter, Calhoun played in 55 games in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, batting .179 in 184 at-bats with four homers and 19 RBIs.
Veteran Luke Westphal Returning to Toros – Westphal split 2024 between the LMB’s Toros de Tijuana, the Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, the affiliate of the San Diego Padres. With Tijuana, the Wisconsin native threw 38 innings, striking out 50 and walking 12 in eight appearances, all of which were starts. He turned professional in 2013 with the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League and has played in the Padres and Minnesota Twins organizations, as well as in the Atlantic League, Puerto Rico’s LBPRC, the Australian Baseball League, LIDOM, and the LAMP.
Other LMB Transactions
Toros de Tijuana – Added David Iván Domínguez to the coaching staff.
Tigres de Quintana Roo –Signed RHP Carl Edwards and OF Willie Calhoun. Released RHP Kyle Cody and IF Jorge Enrique Rivera López.
Charros de Jalisco – Released OF Calvin Estrada.
Saraperos de Saltillo – Signed LHP Adrián Almeida.
Diablos Rojos del México – Signed OF Jhoxan Alfaro, RHP Johan Aguilar and RHP Daniel Sánchez.
Algodoneros de Unión Laguna – Added Jorge Mejía to the coaching staff.
Águila de Veracruz – Added Emilio Linares, Kevin Flores, Eleazar Mora, and Jorge Alberto Molina to the coaching staff. Named Carlos Olmos, Iván Luna, and Ysrael Martínez Rergis as physical trainers, and Luis Martínez Figuera as athletic trainer.
Sultanes de Monterrey – Signed RHP Francisco Vargas.
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos – Signed IF/OF Nicholas Senzel and RHP Daniel Mengden. Released IF Freddy Galvis.
Photo Credit: Carl Edwards, Jr of the Chicago Cubs pitches during a training game as part of the 2024 Chicago Cubs Spring Training at Sloan Park on February 27, 2024 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
