LAMP: Diaz Arrives In Jalisco For Winter; Luis Cessa Reports To Tomateros

Edwin Diaz has arrived in Guadalajara for the winter.

No, not the New York Mets closer, the other Edwin Diaz, the one who spent parts of five seasons in Triple-A with three different Major League Baseball organizations.

A three-position infielder, Diaz joins the Charros de Jalisco in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico after playing 10 seasons of winter ball in his native Puerto Rico, playing for San Juan, Aguadilla, Carolina, Caguas, and Ponce and appearing in four Caribbean Series representing the LBPRC.

Guadalajara is a familiar environment for Diaz, who appeared in 26 games for the Charros this summer in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, batting .333/.426/.573 with five homers and 28 RBIs before signing with the Houston Astros. In the Astros’ organization, Diaz played 62 games with Triple-A Sugar Land, batting .214 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs, and spent 25 games with Double-A Corpus Christi, going 23-for-91 with six home runs and 14 RBIs.

In 286 career winter league games, all in Puerto Rico, Diaz batted .211/.327/.395 with 37 homers and 120 RBIs. Last winter with Ponce in the LBPRC, Diaz batted .246 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 40 games and went 1-for-9 in four games for Puerto Rico at the 2025 Caribbean Series.

“I’m coming with more experience. Going to the United States has served me well, but I can’t forget that I started in 2025 with Charros in the LMB, and that allowed me to go to Houston. I want to do the same in this league,” Diaz said in a team press release.

Luis Cessa Returning to LAMP With Culiacan – Former Major League Baseball starter Luis Cessa is returning to the LAMP with the Tomateros de Culiacan.

Cessa made his LAMP debut last winter, making 10 starts for the Yaquis de Obregon and throwing 51 2/3 innings with a 2.09 ERA and 35 strikeouts against just nine walks. This summer, he made 12 starts for the Sultanes de Monterrey in the LMB, throwing 54 innings with a 4.83 ERA and 48 strikeouts.

“The mentality of starters is to take the game past the fifth inning and maintain a lead, to take the game as far as possible. Obviously, that’s the mentality I have every day when I pitch: to throw a quality outing and help the team win,” he said in a team-issued release. “I’m super happy to be joining the team, starting preseason. Already donning the colors of this great team, and I’m excited for what’s coming.”

Veteran Pitcher Juan Robles Signs With Mexicali – Robles, a righty, has seven seasons of experience in the LAMP with Navojoa and Obregon, having thrown  147 2/3 innings in 160 appearances with 132 strikeouts, 68 walks, a 1.239 WHIP and a 3.35 ERA.

After pitching in the Astros’ organization from 2015-18, Robles has built a solid career in Mexico, pitching in the LMB with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, the Generales de Durango, and the Charros de Jalisco, largely as a middle reliever, making 180 appearances and throwing 180 1/3 innings with 155 strikeouts and a 5.64 ERA.

Damon Dues Returning to Mexico For Winter With Algodoneros – Former Wright State standout and San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres farmhand Damon Dues will play winter ball for the Algodoneros de Guasave, returning to Mexico after spending part of the summer of 2025 with the Algodoneros de Union Laguna of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.

Dues started the 2025 season with Staten Island in the independent Atlantic League,  batting .331 in 41 games before he signed with Union Laguna. With the Algodoneros, Dues went 32-for-83 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 27 games before signing with the Padres, who assigned him to Double-A San Antonio. With the Missions, Dues went 15-for-58 in 22 games.

He made his winter ball debut in the 2024-25 season with the Senadores de San Juan of the LBPRC, going 3-for-27 in 10 games.

Photo: Edwin Diaz swings in summer training camp with the Charros de Jalisco. (Photo courtesy of the Charros de Jalisco)