LIDOM: Toros del Este Shake Up Their Roster; Dale Murphy Drops In To San Pedro de Macoris

The Toros Del Este made several roster changes in the LIDOM on November 24. Seven players were cut from the roster, headlined by former Major League Baseball pitcher Joely Rodriguez.

The most notable player added was Miguel Castro, who is also a relief pitcher with MLB history. ​ 

https://x.com/TorosdelEste/status/1993069462753624427

​Rodriguez, 34, last pitched in MLB with the Boston Red Sox in 2024 and had a seven-year career in the big leagues. Rodriguez has also pitched five seasons in LIDOM with the Gigantes del Cibao. His departure will create a void in their bullpen, and they will need to hope their new acquisitions step up. 

​Castro, 30, pitched six innings with the Chicago White Sox in 2025 and is an MLB free agent. Castro is looking to show teams that he is ready to pitch in MLB this season, having never played in LIDOM. ‘ 

Castro has pitched in MLB for 11 seasons and has a lifetime ERA of 4.24 in 466 ⅔ innings with 414 strikeouts. He signed out of the Dominican Republic with the Toronto Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2012 for a $43,000 signing bonus. Castro will be relied upon to replace Rodriguez. 

​Tigres del Licey – ​The Tigres del Licey had Arizona Diamondbacks’ star Ketel Marte show up on Nov. 18 before their game against the Gigantes del Cibao.   

​He hasn’t given the team a date for his debut, and he was cleared to play 10 games by the Diamondbacks, according to Variedad Deportiva reporter Maria Alberto. Ketel Marte also told Alberto that he doesn’t have an end date for his LIDOM season either. 

https://x.com/MariaSportsMas/status/1990946011603452184

​Marte, 32, is a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger award winner and played for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot park in Miami. Marte could possibly suit up with them again this spring for the 2026 WBC. Marte, a switch-hitting second baseman, signed with the Seattle Mariners out of the Dominican Republic in 2010 for a signing bonus of $100,000. 

​He made his MLB debut with the Mariners in 2015, and Marte was traded to the Diamondbacks with Tijuan Walker prior to the 2017 season for Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger, and pitcher Zac Curtis. Marte has played four LIDOM seasons with the Gigantes del Cibao. 

​Marte has 171 home runs, 587 RBIs, 65 stolen bases, and a slash line of .281/.351/.472 in 4,534 at-bats in his 11-year MLB career. 

Aguilas Cibaeñas – ​The Aguilas Cibaeñas signed two pitchers with MLB experience, Luis Patiño, and Brady Feigl on Nov. 24. 

https://x.com/aguilascibaenas/status/1992933384272879943

​Patiño, 25, signed out of Colombia with the San Diego Padres in 2016 as an international free agent and debuted with them in 2020. He was part of the trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that brought Blake Snell to the Padres prior to the 2021 season. Patiño last pitched in MLB with the Chicago White Sox in 2023, and he has a career ERA of 5.02 in 136 ⅓ innings and 124 strikeouts. 

​He also pitched in LIDOM with the Gigantes del Cibao in the 2023-2024 season. 

​Fiegl, 34, signed with the Atlanta Braves as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He pitched 1 ⅔ MLB innings with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024. Fiegl previously played in LIDOM with the Gigantes del Cibao in the 2019-2020 season. 

​The Aguilas Cibaeñas will add more reinforcements to what is already the best team in LIDOM with these two arms.  

​Estrellas Orientales – ​Atlanta Braves legend Dale Murphy stopped at Estadio Tetelo Vargas on Nov. 23 prior to the Estrellas Orientales in their 5-4 win against the Tigres del Licey. Murphy played for the Estrellas Orientales in the 77-78 season. 

​“I will never forget the great food, the great people, and the great baseball. You will be in my heart forever,” Murphy told the media prior to the game on Nov. 23. ​ 

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​Murphy also had an unforgettable MLB career, which was cemented by two MVPs in back-to-back seasons in 1982 and 1983. He didn’t make it into the Hall of Fame on the initial ballot, but his name has resurfaced on the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee 2025 Hall of Fame ballot. 

​Murphy was a right-handed hitting first baseman, outfielder, and catcher. He also won five Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger Awards, and was a seven-time All-Star.  His MLB career spanned 18 seasons from 1976-1993, and he also played with the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies.   

​The results of the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee 2025 Hall of Fame ballot will be revealed on Dec. 7.   

​Gigantes del Cibao – ​The Gigantes del Cibao added pitcher Huascar Brazoban and took outfielder Jose Siri off their roster. Four players were removed off the roster with four added on Nov.24. 

Brazoban and Siri were teammates on the New York Mets in 2025. Brazoban put together a solid season with an ERA of 3.57 in 63 innings with 57 strikeouts. Siri struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness and is now an MLB free agent. ​ 

https://x.com/Gigantes_Cibao/status/1993072105261600926

​Brazoban will be one of the premier arms in the Gigantes del Cibao bullpen, and they will look to replace the offensive and defensive production of Jose Siri. 

​Leones del Escogido – ​Junior Lake got his 500th LIDOM hit in the regular season on Nov. 23 against the Aguilas Cibaeñas in a 4-1 loss. Lake, 35, got his 500th hit in the eighth with a single to right field against the Aguilas Cibaeñas pitcher Richard Rodríguez. ​ 

https://x.com/EscogidoBBClub/status/1992722304833626146

​Lake played in MLB with the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and the Toronto Blue Jays from 2013-2016. He had 17 home runs, 48 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and a slash line of .235/.278/.376 in 659 at-bats during his four-year MLB career. 

​Lake has spent the last three LIDOM seasons with the Leones del Escogido. He made his LIDOM debut with the Estrellas Orientales in the 2009-2010 season.