By R. Alexander Núñez
The Dominican baseball player Robinson Canoat 43 years old, will change his route in winter baseball for the first time. The veteran second baseman will play the 2026-27 season with Culiacán tomato treesin what will mark his debut in the Mexican Pacific League and his departure from the professional circuit of the Dominican Republic, where he developed his entire career in winter.
The incorporation was announced by the Mexican organization through an official statement. With this move, Canó will stop wearing the Estrellas Orientales uniform, a franchise with which He played in 15 different seasons within the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League.
The decision was surprising because the former captain of the eastern team did not sign as a free agent with any other team in his country, which opens a new chapter in his career in Caribbean baseball.
Reunion with a manager known in Mexico
The signing will also reunite Canó with Lorenzo Bundy, current leader of Tomateros, with whom he already worked in the Mexican summer at the head of Diablos Rojos del México.
In the statement, the Culiacán ninth highlighted that link by introducing the Dominican: “Tomateros de Culiacán welcomes Robinson Canó, who joins the organization with a winning history built in the Major Leagues, in the Dominican national team and in Mexican baseball (…) Culiacán does not arrive in unknown territory. Lorenzo Bundy awaits him in management, the same manager with whom he won two consecutive titles of the Mexican Baseball League at the head of the “Red Devils of Mexico.”
During that stage, the second faulty had outstanding performances. According to the club itself, he was batting champion and Most Valuable Player of the Mexican Baseball League in 2024, after registering an offensive average of .431.
The team also recalled that the Dominican was once again an important piece in the offense of the two-time championship obtained in 2025, consolidating the sports partnership with Bundy.
A stage closes in the Dominican Republic
Canó’s departure represents an important absence for Dominican winter ball. For years he was one of the leaders of Estrellas Orientales and one of the most recognized figures in the tournament.
The agreement announced with Tomateros only contemplates the 2026-27 campaign. The club did not offer details about a possible extension or continuity of the player beyond that calendar.
With his arrival in Mexico, Canó will add a new experience to his extensive career, now in a league in which he had never participated during the winter.
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