The Leñadores de Las Tunas concluded their participation in the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas (BCL Americas) with a second-place finish after losing to the host Diablos Rojos del México in the 6-1 final. Las Tunas natives Rafael Viñales and Denis Peña decided not to return to Cuba after the tournament.
Sources close to colleague Francys Romero confirmed the news, which he posted on his social media profile. Viñales led the tournament in home runs with four, tied third in RBIs with 11 with Yoelkis Guibert and Arístides Aquino of Mexico; and was fourth in hits alongside teammate Roel Santos.
Peña on the other hand only had four at-bats in the tournament, with a double, a run scored, and an RBI, always coming off the bench. Peña spent some time in the Dominican Republic trying to sign with a Major League organization, but it didn’t materialize and he returned to Cuba. Viñales played on several Cuban teams in international tournaments, including the Pre-Olympic Tournament in 2021 and the 2024 Premier 12.
Viñales has also been a key player with the Leñadores in several title seasos. Thus, the Leñadores will return to the Liga Elite for the 2025 season without two of their best players from recent seasons. In recent times, many players, and not just baseball players, have defected in international events, largely due to the current conditions in the country and a desire to improve both professionally and financially.
One of the teams least affected by the departure of athletes is undoubtedly Las Tunas, a fact that has benefited them in domestic tournaments, winning three titles, a second place, and three third-place finishes in the last seven years. The Leñadores are precisely the province with the least representation in the Major League system, with just one player, but it is none other than the ultra-talented Yordan Álvarez.