Benji Gil will not return to manage the Charros de Jalisco of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, the country's summer league, in the 2027 season, the team announced in a press release on Wednesday afternoon.
Gil, 54, signed a contract extension following the Charros' triumph at the 2026 Caribbean Series, which was held at the club's home ballpark in Zapopan, Jalisco, in the Guadalajara metro area. Gil's contract has a club option for the 2027-28 season, though the announcement indicates the Charros do not plan to exercise their option.
A former first-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers who appeared in 604 career Major League games with the Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels, Gil has managed the LMB club since the Charros owners, who held a franchise in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, purchased the bankrupt Mariachis de Guadalajara franchise in 2023.
As manager, Gil led the Charros' LMB franchise to the Serie del Rey in 2026, where they were swept by the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in the best-of- seven series. He also led the LMP franchise to back-to-back titles in the country's winter league and the Caribbean Series title.
In 2023, Gil led Mexico to the semifinals at the World Baseball Classic, where they fell to eventual champion Japan in a one-run game before a sold-out crowd at Miami's loanDepot Park, and managed Mexico again in the 2026 WBC.
With a lockout looming in Major League Baseball, it is possible, though unlikely, that Gil is leaving for a position with an MLB club following the winter ball season. There is currently one managerial opening in the LMB, where Lorenzo Bundy has transitioned to a front office role with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico.