Cuba Misses Out on 2025 Caribbean Series as Japan Makes Debut

The 2025 Caribbean Series kicked off on January 31 in Mexicali, Mexico, once again without a Cuban team in attendance. Despite Cuba's rich baseball heritage, the island's absence from this regional competition has become a recurring theme since their last appearance in 2023 with the Agricultores de Granma and Las Tunas, the champions of the Cuban Elite Baseball League (2022-23).

This year's tournament features the triumphant teams from the Caribbean winter leagues, including the Charros de Jalisco (Mexico), Leones del Escogido (Dominican Republic), Cardenales de Lara (Venezuela), Indios de Mayagüez (Puerto Rico), and for the first time, an Asian guest, the Breeze from Japan, marking a historic moment for the series.

Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, the commissioner of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC), remarked that "Mexicali will shine with the historic inclusion of a Japanese team in the Caribbean Series, an achievement long awaited."

However, traditional teams such as Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, and Curaçao did not make the cut for this edition. Cuba's absence stems from not being invited. According to Commissioner Puello Herrera, "until Cuba resolves its economic issues related to its professional league, we will face challenges in having them as a member."

The Cuban baseball league is not part of the CBPC and is directly overseen by the government. "Crises occur when the new cannot be born, and the old refuses to die. New structures must emerge in Cuban baseball," added the executive, commenting on the direction of Cuban baseball.

Colombia's exclusion is linked to financial disagreements. In 2024, Pedro Salcedo, president of the Colombian Professional Baseball League, reported being asked for a $200,000 fee to participate, causing tensions between the parties involved.

The decision to limit the number of participating teams in Mexicali is due to logistical and climatic considerations. Commissioner Puello explained, "The temperature changes significantly here in Mexicali. Holding three games is not feasible. We considered this carefully and decided on only five teams."

Future editions are expected to expand the number of participants once more. In the 2023 Caribbean Series held in Venezuela, the Cuban team "Agricultores" had an underwhelming performance, finishing last with just one win in seven games. For the 2024 edition in Miami, Cuban authorities confirmed their national team was not invited to the tournament.

This recent edition took place from February 1 to 9 at LoanDepot Park in Miami, marking the first time this tournament was held in a Major League Baseball stadium and outside Hispanic America since 1991. The Tiburones de La Guaira from Venezuela claimed their first championship by defeating the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic 3-0 in the final.

The Venezuelan team featured the standout performance of Cuban Yasiel Puig, who, despite suffering an injury during the final, played a crucial role in the team's success. Puig celebrated the victory to the beat of Venezuelan drums, expressing his joy and gratitude to the fans.

A notable highlight of this edition was the record attendance at LoanDepot Park, where 35,972 fans attended one of the games, surpassing the previous record of 35,691 spectators set in the 2023 edition in Caracas.