Panama captures Caribbean Series

With a team that was not supposed to be in the tournament, Panama beat Cuba 3-1 at Panama City to win its second Caribbean Series and first since 1950.

Panama was represented in the tournament for the first time since 1960 only after the Caribbean Professional Baseball Leagues moved the series out of Venezuela because of security concerns shortly before it began. With Panama hosting, the Toros de Herrera were invited to play as a guest.

The only Panamanian team to win the tournament was the Carta Vieja Yankees, who did it in 1950 with a roster full of American players. Allen Cordoba and Elmer Reyes had RBIs in the bottom of the first inning Sunday, and Panama added a run in the seventh on Rodrigo Vigil’s hit.

In other news:

• Zach Duke signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds, who wanted a lefthander for the bullpen. Duke, who turns 36 in April, pitched in 14 games for the Reds in 2013. Last season, he went 5-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 72 games with Minnesota and Seattle.

• Outfielder Melky Cabrera will report to spring training with Pittsburgh after signing a minor league contract with the Pirates. If added to the 40-man roster, Cabrera, 34, would get a one-year contract that would pay $1.15 million while in the major leagues. Cabrera has a .286 average in 14 seasons with seven big league teams. He made the AllStar team in 2012 while playing for San Francisco and was named the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player.

• Free-agent catcher Stephen Vogt is returning to the Bay Area, agreeing to a minor league contract with San Francisco. Vogt, 34, a .251 hitter with 57 homers and 218 RBIs through parts of six major league seasons, played for Oakland from 2013 through part of 2017. He had surgery on his right shoulder last May and did not play for Milwaukee last year.