Winter leagues facing challenges 
In the golden age of winter baseball, it was not uncommon to see future Hall of Famers during the peak of their career competing against the biggest names from Latin America. Those days, however, are long gone. In Thursday's Caribbean Series games between Mexico and Puerto Rico, neither lineup included a player expected to be on a major league roster on opening day. Later, in the nightcap game between powerhouses the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, only Brayan Peņa appears assured of an MLB roster spot, and he's Cuban and a backup catcher!
To read more about how the Latin winter leagues are being forced to change due to a new agreement with MLB, you must be an ESPN Insider.
- Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Joined ESPN in May 2007
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Jorge Aranguré
Jorge Aranguré Jr. is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. He joined ESPN in May 2007 after spending three years as a baseball writer for The Washington Post. Previously, he covered baseball for The Bergen Record, in Hackensack, N.J. Aranguré has a B.A. in history from the University of Southern California and a M.A. in journalism from Syracuse University. You can contact him at jorge.arangure@espn3.com or follow him on Twitter: @jorgearangure.
La Esquina: The Latin baseball blog
The rise of the Latino player in baseball has been well-documented: Last year, more than 150 major leaguers hailed from Spanish-speaking countries. But the players themselves haven't received as much coverage. We aim to change that with La Esquina Caliente (The Hot Corner, for you non-Spanish speakers), Insider's new blog devoted to all things involving Latino ballplayers. We'll follow the international amateur signing market and spotlight current Latino big leaguers. We'll also offer news and lighter, offbeat items. Think of it as your place to talk Latino baseball on the Web.