2026 Winter Leagues
The 2025-2026 winter league baseball games have begun. The Mexican Pacific League, Dominican Winter League and Venezuelan Winter League all began their schedules on Oct. 15. The Puerto Rican League begins on Nov. 7. All four leagues continue playing their schedules through Dec. 30, with the playoffs beginning Jan. 2. The Caribbean World Series will take place in Venezuela beginning Jan. 12, 2026.
Mexican Pacific League (LMP) consists of 10 teams that play each other until the round robin playoffs begin in December. The Dominican League (LIDOM) consists of six teams, the Venezuelan League (LVPB) has eight teams and the Puerto Rican (LBPRC, named after Roberto Clemente) league has six teams. All schedules end by Dec. 30 with the League Championships beginning Jan. 2.
Those four teams make up the Caribbean Baseball Federation and there was a new agreement reached with Major League Baseball before the beginning of this season. The contract has changed the amount of players that MLB can prohibit from playing in the winter leagues as well as tightening the rules regarding withholding players from playing due to fatigue/injury. This new contract extends through 2027. It means there could be up to 60 more players approved as eligible to play in the 2025-2026 season.
Australian Baseball League (ABL) begins on Nov. 13 and concludes in January. The league consists of four teams and the league has affiliations with MLB, KBO (Korean baseball), NPB (Japanese baseball) and CPBL (Taiwan baseball) for players to play during their season. The Brisbane Bandits have an affiliation with the Texas Rangers and have their prospects playing there this season.
Currently, former major leaguers and current national players from each country are filling out the rosters for the 30 Caribbean area teams. After the end of the MLB season, which concludes with the end of the World Series, then current major league players can make themselves available to play with a winter league team.
Current minor league players are also available at that time to join a winter league team. In previous years, Padres prospect Tirso Ornelas has played in the Mexican Pacific League and Fernando Tatis Jr. has played in the Dominican League (playing for his dad with Estrellas Orientales) when healthy. Those decisions are usually made after the conclusion of MLB activity and rosters are adjusted accordingly. Most minor and major league players only play a portion of the season, and it is a decision made between the player and their major league team.
After the MLB season concludes there will be more information available as to which, if any, Padres players are playing as well as any minor leaguers assigned in order to get more playing time. There have been suggestions that catcher Ethan Salas, the Padres top prospect that was injured for most of the 2025 season, will see some time in the winter leagues at some point.
