Ramon Santos joins Saraperos de Saltillo, sixth Ducks player transferred in 2026

Ramon Santos’ contract was signed by Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League, and the move made the right-handed reliever the sixth Long Island Ducks player transferred in 2026. For Long Island, it was more than a routine transaction. Santos had been one of the club’s most reliable bullpen arms, and his exit removed a pitcher who had already built a strong case as one of the Atlantic League’s most effective relievers.

The 31-year-old from Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic, who resides in Miami, entered his third season with the Ducks and his 13th in professional baseball after posting eye-catching numbers across his first two years in Central Islip. From 2024 to 2025, Santos made 64 appearances, went 10-2, and recorded a 0.55 ERA with 20 saves. In 65.2 innings, he allowed 10 runs, four earned, on 32 hits and 32 walks while striking out 113 batters.

Santos’ 2024 season helped establish his value as a late-inning weapon. He led all Ducks pitchers with 45 appearances and finished third in the Atlantic League with 14 saves, then was voted the team’s 2024 MVP through fan voting. That kind of production is exactly why Long Island has become a place where strong Atlantic League seasons can turn into opportunities in bigger winter and summer markets, and Santos followed that path into Saltillo.

The Ducks’ transfer announcement also fit a pattern that has become hard to miss in 2026. Long Island had already announced Trevor Bauer’s transfer to Diablos Rojos del México on June 22, and Santos’ move pushed the club’s total to six contract transfers for the year. In Mexico, Saraperos have been active in shaping their own 2026 roster, unveiling a new jersey on April 6 and announcing a 12-game spring-training schedule on February 20.

For the Ducks, losing Santos means taking a hit to a bullpen that had been built around his strike-throwing and run prevention. It also reinforces the role Long Island keeps playing in the Atlantic League: not just as a place to win games, but as a launch point for pitchers whose numbers travel well enough to move them up the professional ladder.