Claws for Celebration: Blue Crabs Add Four New Players to 2026 Roster

Claws for Celebration: Blue Crabs Add Four New Players to 2026 Roster

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Keith Noonan, Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations

Phone Number: (301)-638-9788.

Email: knoonan@bluecrabsbaseball.com

     

Claws for Celebration: Blue Crabs Add Four New Players to 2026 Roster

Crabs Bolster Roster with a Catcher and Three Pitchers

Waldorf, MD – March 19, 2026 – The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs today announced the signing of catcher Carlos Rojas and pitchers Samuel Perez, Freddy Pacheco, and Jeremy Molero to the 2026 roster.

Catcher Carlos Rojas is 23 years old and a right-handed hitter. Last season, he played for the Great Lakes Loons in the Midwest League (High-A, Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate). He was originally signed as an undrafted international free agent ahead of the 2021 season by the Los Angeles Dodgers when he was 18 years old out of Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

Rojas’s most successful seasons in the minor leagues included 2022 with the Dodgers Mega in the Dominican Summer League, where he posted a .300 batting average, .413 on-base percentage, .438 slugging percentage, and 17 doubles, as well as 2024 with Rancho Cucamonga in the California League (Single-A), where he hit .290 with 13 doubles and 47 RBIs. Over the past two seasons, Rojas has thrown out combined 50 runners trying to steal. 

Rojas has been a professional for six years and will play his first season in the Atlantic League.

“We are very excited to have Carlos join our team, he has played in the Dodgers Organization and has done a great job with them,” Blue Crabs Manager Brett Jodie said. “We love the fact that he is young and on the rise with his skills and overall feel for the game. He is very good defensively behind the dish and can help contribute at the plate with his bat. We look forward to teaming up with Carlos this season,” Jodie commented. 

Pitcher Samuel Perez, 26, a left-hander, joins the Blue Crabs after seven years in MiLB between the Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins organizations. Last season, he pitched for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in the Midwest League (High-A, Minnesota Twins affiliate). Throughout his career, mostly as a reliever, he has compiled a 21-12 record with a career MiLB ERA of 2.35. Perez has thrown nearly 330 innings while striking out 335 hitters with a walk rate of just 2.4 per nine innings and notching 15 saves throughout his pro career. 

 In 2019 with the Angels in the Dominican Summer League, he posted a 1.26 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 28.2 innings, and in 2025 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels in the Midwest League (High-A, Minnesota Twins affiliate), he went 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA in 44 innings. Perez was signed as an undrafted international free agent before the 2018 season at age 18 and turned pro.

Perez has been a professional for nine years and will enter his first season in the ALPB.

“There are certain players that know how to pitch, and that is Samuel Perez,” Jodie said. "He is not going to overpower anyone, but the strike throwing ability and the mixing of pitches is superb. He can fill a variety of roles, and we will look for him to compete for a starting role. The defense will love to work behind him as he pounds the zone and attacks hitters, we can’t wait to work with him this year,” Jodie finished. 

The 26-year-old Jeremy Molero is six-foot-two and a native of Valencia, Venezuela. Molero spent his entire professional career in the Houston Astros organization, advancing steadily through their minor league system. He last pitched in 2024 for Asheville (High-A) and Corpus Christi (Double-A), where he put together a combined 3.22 ERA.

Across 180 career minor-league innings, he has posted a sparkling 2.85 ERA with 271 strikeouts and 12 saves. His most impressive work came in 2023 in Single-A with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, where he delivered a 0.93 ERA across 25 relief appearances, striking out 43 batters in 29 innings while collecting 8 saves. In 2024, he continued to thrive in relief roles at both High-A and Double-A, posting a 3.22 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 36.1 innings and adding three more saves. Molero has a career mark of 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Molero enters his first year in the Atlantic League and his seventh professional season.

“We are thrilled to have Jeremy join our pitching staff, he brings a power arm to our bullpen,” Jodie said. "His numbers in the minor leagues are really impressive, and we look for him to build on that success. Jeremy is comfortable with a variety of roles in our pen, and he will be huge for us late in ballgames. I know he is ready to compete, and we are glad he is on our side,” Jodie continued.

Freddy Pacheco, 27, arrives with experience at all levels of the minor leagues, including three years in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system and two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Pacheco has a career ERA of 3.36 in six minor league seasons. Last season, Pacheco split time between High-A West Michigan and two games in Rookie ball, combining for a 3.97 ERA in 34 innings while giving up only 20 hits and striking out 35.

The five-foot-eleven right-hander from Araguita, Venezuela, has compiled 381 strikeouts in 259.1 professional innings, boasting a career 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 31 saves. Pacheco enjoyed his strongest campaign in 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals organization, posting a 3.05 ERA across 50 relief appearances at Double-A and Triple-A while saving 12 games and striking out 84 batters in 62 innings. He was especially sharp at the Triple-A level that season, recording a 2.41 ERA in 33.2 innings with four saves.

Earlier in his career, he flashed dominance in rookie ball (1.05 ERA with five saves in 2018) and continued to produce quality relief outings while climbing the ladder through the Cardinals and later Tigers systems. 

This will be Pacheco’s first season in the ALPB and his eighth professional year.

“Pacheco is a special talent and brings a lot of late inning experience in the high levels of baseball,” Jodie stated. “It is extremely valuable to have guys like Freddy who have the “Closer Mentality.” He wants to pitch and show teams he is healthy and ready to get after it. He brings much needed strength to our bullpen, and we are very excited to welcome Freddy to our club,” Jodie continued.

Fans can purchase single game tickets at www.bluecrabsbaseball.com/individualgametickets. Fans can contact an account representative or reach out via email anytime at info@bluecrabsbaseball.com. 

The season begins against the Staten Island FerryHawks at Blue Crabs Stadium on April 21. Stay updated on roster news, and more at bluecrabsbaseball.com. 

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About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

The Blue Crabs play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, MLB’s Premiere Partner League. The Blue Crabs are set to kick off their 18th season of baseball in Waldorf, Maryland. For more information on the Blue Crabs, please call 301-638-9788 or visit http://www.bluecrabsbaseball.com  for more information. For media requests, contact Keith Noonan at 301-638-9788.

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 27-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,450 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 48 million fans to its 10 state-of-the-art ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina. Follow the action at AtlanticLeague.com.