Category: Baseball

Puerto Rico, one of just four countries to advance to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals in the first five tournaments, will play on in the 2026 edition. Yet the Boricua may have already suffered their most significant losses weeks before the WBC began.

For the first time since 2013, Puerto Rico will be without its superstar infielders, Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor, who were ruled out of the tournament due to insurance concerns.

Lindor subsequently suffered a hamate bone injury that would have knocked him out, anyway. Yet Correa’s loss – along with valued catcher Victor Caratini and right-hander Jose Berríos – can be attributed to a risk management issue that girds the tournament’s capability to utilize major league stars in a full-go, competitive environment during spring training.

Why can’t Carlos Correa play in the WBC?

Correa’s history of leg injuries is well-documented, since he suffered a fractured right tibia as a Houston Astros minor leaguer. The injury history emerged in the spotlight during Correa’s second tour through free agency, when deals exceeding $300 million in value with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets were scrapped due to concerns that emerged during his physical before the 2023 season.

Major league players are insured during the WBC – which is co-owned and operated by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association - through National Financial Partners. NFP refuses to guarantee contracts for players whose contracts are in their second guaranteed year in a season a position player turns 37, and fourth guaranteed year for pitchers turning 37, baseball officials familiar with the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

Yet injury history and recent surgical procedures can also scuttle a player’s eligibility.

Jose Altuve, Jose Berríos: Ineligible for WBC

Lindor had a minor right elbow debridement after last season, scuttling his eligibility before his hamate issue emerged. Jose Altuve, 35, had a pair of strikes against him: He suffered a broken thumb playing for Venezuela in the 2023 WBC, and his $125 million contract extension runs through 2029; he will turn 37 in 2028.

Berríos, 31, pitched for Puerto Rico in 2013, 2017 and 2023. Yet he revealed last month that elbow inflammation that ended his season early was preceded by problems with his biceps tendon that he pitched through. Now, he’ll miss his first WBC, but should be nearing full health in time for the Blue Jays to begin defense of their American League title.

And Venezuela’s infield depth will be further thinned by the absence of Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers’ World Series hero. He turned 37 on Feb. 24, rendering his $5.5 million salary for 2026 – his final big league season, he’s said – uninsurable.

“It's really hard to not have the opportunity to put my country on my chest and to represent them and help win a World Baseball Classic – and not have the opportunity to do it because I'm 37 years old," Rojas said at the Dodgers’ fan festival last month. "That's not right. I don't feel it's right."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Puerto Rico WBC roster 2026: Why isn't Lindor playing? Insurance issues

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

The Orioles were Grapefruit League winners yesterday with a 4-3 decision over the Rays in Port Charlotte. The Birds’ travel lineup included only two players guaranteed to make the team — Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo, who had a hit apiece — along with a couple of bubble guys in Leody Taveras and Jeremiah Jackson. The bulk of their offense came on homers by two minor league fillers, Jose Barrero and “Danger” Will Robertson.

But the pitching was the story for the Orioles — specifically, Zach Eflin, who made his spring debut and dazzled with two scoreless innings, striking out three. Reportedly, Eflin’s velocity yesterday was better than it ever was during his miserable 2025 season, when back soreness torpedoed his performance. His mechanics and pitch arsenal more resembled the Eflin who dominated in nine starts for the O’s in 2024. It’s hard not to be impressed at how sharp Eflin looked in his first mound action in eight months.

For much of the spring, it’s been assumed that Eflin will start the year on the injured list as he continues to ramp up his workload. But after yesterday’s performance, there’s reason to believe he could be full-go by Opening Day. And if he is, how exactly will the Orioles’ rotation shake out? The O’s have already announced that Tyler Wells will be in the bullpen, but that would still leave six starters — Eflin, Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt, and Dean Kremer — for five spots.

Bradish and Rogers are guaranteed to be atop the rotation, and Baz, for whom the O’s traded four prospects and have high expectations, is a lock for the starting staff as well. Unless the Orioles go with a six-man rotation, that leaves one of the other three out in the cold. Bassitt, a veteran known for his durability — with four straight seasons of 30+ starts — seems unlikely to be bumped to the bullpen, though he did pitch (quite well) in that role for the Blue Jays last postseason. Kremer, the Orioles’ 2025 leader in innings pitched with 171.2, also seems betted suited for starting than relieving, and Eflin hasn’t worked out of the bullpen since 2022.

There are three weeks until Opening Day, and chances are that the situation will resolve itself one way or the other. Just when you think you have more starting pitchers than you need, baseball has a way of, well, throwing a curveball. For now, the O’s should be happy they’ve got some pitching depth. They’re going to need it.

Links

With increased velo, Eflin surprises himself in 1st start since back surgery – MLB.com

More from Jake Rill on Eflin’s successful debut. If Eflin can approach his 2024 performance this year, it’ll certainly take some of the sting out of the Orioles’ not ponying up for an ace.

Kittredge on shoulder inflammation: “I really don’t think it’s all that serious” – School of Roch

Andrew Kittredge scoffs in the face of shoulder inflammation. Pshaw!, he says.

Brandon Hyde looks back on his last Orioles season: ‘I wish I could have done more’ – The Baltimore Banner

The former O’s manager talked to the Baltimore media for the first time since his firing. If you were expecting some lingering bitterness or saltiness toward the Orioles, sorry, his comments are all class.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Ex-Orioles born on this day include right-hander Anthony Telford (60) and Jake Arrieta (40), who spent four rocky years with the Birds before they dumped him off on the Cubs. I wonder what ever happened to him after that? Nothing much, I’m sure.

March 6 has been a slow day in Orioles history. The only time the O’s have made any roster moves on this date was in 2020, when they returned two Rule 5 picks — right-handers Michael Rucker and Brandon Bailey — to their original clubs. Had the O’s known that spring training would be canceled by the pandemic a week later and they’d end up playing only a 60-game season later that summer, maybe they could’ve tried to hold onto one or both of those guys for the shortened campaign. In any case, neither pitcher amounted to much, with Rucker posting a 4.96 ERA in three seasons for the Cubs and Bailey pitching just five major league games for the Astros in 2020.

The man who managed Shohei Ohtani in Japan dropped by the Dodgers’ training camp the other day, camera crew in tow. He was there to interview Andrew Friedman.

Friedman, quite naturally, assumed the questions would be about Ohtani.

Not at all. The questions were about Friedman, and what he had in common with the people who lead companies that make bullet trains and electron microscopes and Hello Kitty.

Hideki Kuriyama managed Ohtani on the Nippon Ham Fighters, the team that nurtured Ohtani’s ambition of pitching and hitting at an elite level. Today, in addition to serving as the Fighters’ chief baseball officer — the equivalent of Friedman’s role as the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations — Kuriyama hosts a prime-time television show in which he interviews the top executives of global corporations based in Japan.

Read more:Dodgers work with Andrew Toles' family to continue supporting former outfielder

These companies are household names in Japan, and often in the United States: Hitachi. Suzuki. Japan Airlines. Nippon Steel. Rakuten, the e-commerce giant. Sanrio, the Hello Kitty people.

The Dodgers are a household name in Japan.

The Dodgers are the brand. Nippon Ham is a brand too, but that brand is a food processing company.

Remember when Fox owned the Dodgers and Disney owned the Angels? That is baseball in Japan: teams owned by companies that can be more interested in their core business of financial services or transportation or media or whatever than in their team.

“The Japanese baseball market is stuck,” Kuriyama told me through interpreter Chinami Inaishi. “Ownership belongs to the owner-corporations. They really see the teams as part of their branding and marketing. Their efforts to focus on the team strength seems very different than that of Major League Baseball.”

That, really, was what Kuriyama wanted to talk about with Friedman: What could Japanese teams learn from how Friedman leads?

“One of the things that we talked about was patience,” Kuriyama said, “the ability to wait. I felt that. A lot of people have said that about him, so I’ll take that to heart.”

Beyond that? Friedman talked about integrating the work of different departments, no matter how unrelated those departments might appear from the outside.

“One of the things I learned is that an organization is not just the sum of people,” Kuriyama said. “To have a really good organization, everyone has to be united in what they want, and each person has to contribute. It’s kind of like multiplication rather than addition.”

To Friedman, championship math is about more than wins and losses.

“We spent time talking about the quest we are on to create a destination spot,” he said. “Obviously, the primary goal is to win championships. But that’s an outcome. We believe the process part of increasing your chances of getting there is by creating a destination spot where your really good players don’t want to leave, and where players on other teams are longingly looking at, like, ‘Oh man, I want to play for them.’

“We are way better at it today than we were five years ago, but it is like a living organism that we have to continue to nurture. It is not something where we will ever take our foot off the gas and say, ‘OK, we’ve got it.’”

Nothing beats winning — or, for the cynical, high salaries. But, when the Dodgers go beyond the scoreboard and payroll to provide innovative biomechanical and nutritional analysis to their players; expand the home clubhouse twice in barely a decade and take special care of player families; and add a second chartered team flight so the players can take their own plane, players take notice.

“We’re on a quest to get better at everything we do,” Friedman said. “If you listen to some of our internal meetings, and you listen to us challenge each other to get better in different areas, you would think we finished in last place last year.

Read more:How the Dodgers will look to fill out a once-crowded starting rotation

“We take a very critical look at what we’re doing and what things we do better and what things we are not doing as well, and how to enhance those parts of our operation. That is our mindset: figuring out a way to continuously get better at everything we do.”

Kuriyama brought up an interview Friedman did three years ago, after Friedman visited Japan and marveled at how many fans gathered to watch Team Japan workouts in advance of the World Baseball Classic.

“It also struck me how many different team hats were there,” Friedman said. “You’d see a Dodgers, and a Cubs, and a Yankees, and a Red Sox. You saw a smattering of different teams. And that’s what got us thinking like, ‘Man, if we could actually convert more fans here into loving Dodger baseball, the benefits that come with that.’”

In the ensuing 20 months, the Dodgers signed Ohtani. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki have followed, as have back-to-back World Series championships and a burgeoning Japanese fan club.

“They are, absolutely, bar none, the most popular team,” Kuriyama said.

The Dodgers are the favorite MLB team of 59% of Japanese sports fans, according to a YouGov poll released this week. The New York Yankees rank second at 14%; no other team polled at even 10%.

According to the poll, 78% say Ohtani is one of their favorite MLB players, 79% say Ohtani has increased their interest in MLB since he signed with the Dodgers, and 87% say they have a positive impression of him.

Ohtani made an estimated $100 million last year in sponsorships and endorsements, including the promotion of a skin care product that the 64-year-old Kuriyama said he has tried. I asked Kuriyama how far he could walk in Japan without seeing an advertisement for Ohtani.

“Less than 10 steps,” he said.

Kuriyama held firm that Ohtani could prosper as both a pitcher and hitter at a time that opinion was far from universal. Now that Ohtani is the game’s best player, and an international superstar that transcends sports, Kuriyama must feel like a proud father.

“He was incredibly talented,” Kuriyama said. “So, rather than being a proud dad, I feel like, ‘Thank you for not injuring yourself, and thank you for putting the work and effort into being where you are today.’ I am actually a little relieved.”

I asked Kuriyama if there was anything Ohtani could do that he has not already done.

For one, Kuriyama said, the Cy Young Award.

Read more:'Opportunity is present.' Alex Freeland trying to take advantage of reps at second base

“He’s actually more talented than people think he is,” Kuriyama said. “I firmly believe that he is going to surprise many of you.”

He only — and, yes, Kuriyama used the word “only” — hit 55 home runs last season. Does Kuriyama believe Ohtani could reach the single-season MLB record of 73?

“Yeah,” Kuriyama said.

If Ohtani does that this year, the Dodgers might well become the first team in National League history to win three consecutive World Series championships. If the Dodgers do that, flooded with cash from Japan and all over the world, the interview Friedman does next spring might be with the Harvard Business School.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is officially underway and if you’re keeping track of things from an Atlanta Braves perspective, today is the day for you. It’s all going down today at high noon at loanDepot park in Miami, FL as Ronald Acuña Jr. and Venezuela get set to take on Ozzie Albies and Jurickson Profar Chadwick Tromp representing the Netherlands in the first game of Pool D in Miami. Andruw Jones will be in the dugout as the manager for the Netherlands, so there’s definitely going to be a Braves flavor to this particular ballgame.

It’ll surely be fun to see best pals Acuña and Albies turn into baseball enemies for a day and the good news for you is that we have information as to how you can watch. While the game may not be on a traditional TV channel like FOX, FS1 or FS2, the game will still be televised via streaming. You’ll have to catch this game on tubi (tubitv.com) if you want to see the international Braves stars in action during the WBC. If you can’t watch then you can listen on MLB Audio (via the MLB+ package which starts at $5.99 a month) or on Sirius XM if you’re subscribed to that as well.

Either way, you’re going to want to tune in for this one if you want to get your fix of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies playing in meaningful baseball games about a month earlier than usual. No matter who you’re pulling for, Braves fans are going to come out on top in this one.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, March 6, 12:00 p.m. ET

Location: loanDepot park, Miami, FL

TV: None

Streaming: tubi

Radio: MLB Audio, Sirius XM

Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. Welcome to March, as Opening Day is now just three weeks away!

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread:

The pool play for the WBC begins in earnest today, which means as I write this, Shohei Ohtani hits a grand slam to open the scoring for Samurai Japan.

Because of course he did.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Aaron Nola has had much better stuff, much higher velocity this spring so far. Maybe we can thank the WBC for that ($).
• Kyle Backhus continues to have a solid spring in his audition for the Phillies. The manager certainly likes him.

MLB news:

• MLB Pipeline has a new #1 team in their organizational system rankings. For once, the Dodgers aren’t the best at something!
• Andrew McCutchen will try for one more season in the sun. This time, the sun will be much hotter as it will be in Texas.
• Well, maybe those Orioles were after more starting pitching after all as it’s now being reported that they made a nine-figure offer to Ranger Suarez.

The Hawk* signs a blank check, Kirby Puckett departs this vale,and other stories.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.

“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.

Today in baseball history:

• 1906 – Rookie owner Charles W. Murphy puts the last pieces of a Chicago Cubs dynasty in place, trading rookie infielder Hans Lobert and pitcher Jake Weimer to the Cincinnati Reds for third baseman Harry Steinfeldt. Not a heavy hitter, Steinfeldt completes the Frank Chance–Johnny Evers–Joe Tinker infield with more than adequate defense. (1,2)
• 1907 – Philadelphia Phillies owners A.J. Reach and John Rogers are acquitted of damages resulting from the 1903 National League Park disaster. A balcony collapsed at the Broad Street and Lehigh Avenue ballpark, killing 12 and leaving 232 fans injured. (2)
• 1945 – Former Philadelphia Athletics catcher Harry O’Neill is killed in combat during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The 27-year-old O’Neill becomes the second former major leaguer to lose his life in the war. Elmer Gedeon, a one-time outfielder with the Washington Senators, was killed in 1944. (2)
• 1973 – Larry Hisle of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first designated hitter in major league history during an exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hisle makes the new American League rule look good by collecting two home runs and seven runs batted in. (1,2)
• 1987 – Free agent Andre Dawson* signs a one-year contract with the Cubs for the bargain-basement price of $650,000. Dawson had offered to sign a contract with the dollar amount left blank just so he could play on the natural grass at Wrigley Field and save his fragile knees. He will hit 49 home runs, lead the majors in RBIs, and win the 1987 N.L. MVP Award. (1,2)
• 2005 – Suzyn Waldman becomes the first woman to be a full-time color commentator in major league history, making her debut with John Sterling on WCBS-AM 880, the radio flagship of the New York Yankees. The former radio-talk host on WFAN, the first all-sports radio station in United States, was also the first female to broadcast on a national baseball telecast, as well as the first to provide local TV (Yankees) major league play-by-play. (2)
• 2006 – Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett dies in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 45, a day after suffering a massive stroke. Puckett, who led the Minnesota Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, hit .318 with 207 home runs and 1085 RBI over 12 seasons. A 10-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner, Puckett ended his career abruptly due to irreversible retina damage in his right eye. (2)
• 2016 – The Commissioner’s office overturns the two-game suspension handed to Dodgers IF Chase Utley for a dangerous slide that injured the Mets’ Ruben Tejada in last year’s NLDS. The decision is because the rules regarding sliding at the time were too vague; they have since been strengthened. (2)

Cubs Birthdays:Hal Mauck, Bill Sweeney, Ted Abernathy, Terry Adams, Jake Arrieta, Leonys Martín. Also notable: Lefty Grove HOF, Willie Stargell HOF.

Today in history:

• 1521 – Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan discovers Guam.
• 1788 – The British First Fleet arrives at Australian territory of Norfolk Island to found a convict settlement.
• 1831 – Edgar Allan Poe court-martialed and dismissed from West Point military academy for gross neglect of duty and disobedience of orders.
• 1836 – Battle of the Alamo: After 13 days of fighting, 1,500-3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelm the Texan defenders, killing 182-257 Texans including William Travis, Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett.
• 1857 – Dred Scott Decision: US Supreme Court rules Africans cannot be US citizens.
• 1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table of the elements to the Russian Chemical Society.
• 1918 – US naval boat “Cyclops” disappears in Bermuda Triangle. The ship was traveling from Barbados to Baltimore — it has never been found.
• 1964 – Boxing legend Cassius Clay joins the Nation of Islam and changes his name to “Muhammad Ali”, calling his former title a “slave name.”

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
• (6) — Wikipedia.
• (7) — The British Museum
• (8) — For world history.

*pictured.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.

I’m almost out of pitchers to write about, I swear. We’re moving on to the middle relievers. The guys who sometimes need to take it on the chin, who rarely get the credit they deserve, but oftentimes make or break close games.

The Red Sox’ starting rotation depth and quality should help keep this group fresher than they’ve been in the recent past. Right now, I think this group might be on the light side, but relievers spring up out of nowhere and are available at the drop of a hat, so a trade or the addition of a DFA’d arm from another team could add quality to the bullpen. Here’s a look at way too many pitchers who might get a chance for the Red Sox this year.

Justin Slaten

Justin Slaten’s 2025 was disappointing, in large part because he was unavailable for most of the middle part of the season. He posted a 4.24 ERA with an 18.2% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. Those numbers were a large step down from his rookie season, but the underlying stuff was just as good.

His fastball in particular was excellent. It has solid vertical movement and great velocity with big extension. In 2025, the swinging strike rate was among the best in the league at 15.6%, while the ideal contact rate was a great 31.3%. His cutter was a reliable strike-getter and also limited hard contact. Slaten struggled to put lefties away in 2025 due to leaving his curveball in the zone with two strikes too frequently, but better command should see the pitch return strikeouts. His sweeper was useful in putting away righties and should continue to be a weapon for him.

The issue for Slaten was getting out of trouble. His left-on-base rate of 55% was remarkably low and should rise to a normal rate over a full season. His 2024 rate was 71%, and there’s little reason to believe it shouldn’t normalize given his stuff. Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock are the top dogs in the Red Sox bullpen, but Slaten will be asked to handle high-leverage situations regularly.

Greg Weissert

Dear Alex Cora, I know navigating the middle innings can be difficult, particularly in a tight game. Hopefully, your rotation gives you six innings often enough that nobody in the pen needs to be overworked. I’m writing to you today to plead that you don’t give the ball to Greg Weissert every night. I know it’s tempting, but don’t do it.

Each of the last two seasons, Weissert has been near the top of the league in appearances through June, and then seen his performance tail off in the summer before reemerging at the end of the season. Weissert commands his fastball at the top of the zone, where it plays well due to its flat approach angle. Against righties, he uses a sinker and slider/sweeper to great effect. Lefties are a problem, with nothing else besides a fastball to get strikes with, though. He’s best used matching up with righties in a one-inning spot, and shouldn’t be asked to do much more.

Zack Kelly

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to quit Zack Kelly.

I’ll never give up on Zack Kelly

— Jake Roy (@Jake3Roy) June 21, 2025

I can’t be a one man standing ovation but if I could I would’ve for Zack Kelly

— Jake Roy (@Jake3Roy) August 26, 2024

See?

The stuff is just too good not to work. His four-seam averages 96 mph with seven feet of extension. The pitch has a flat approach angle, though I wonder if it’s a little “dead zoney”, because righties have been able to handle it. It was primarily a two-strike pitch and returned whiffs due to solid command, but the contact against it was hard. Early in counts, he used a sinker and a cutter that each earned strikes and limited damage. His sweeper also punched out hitters, but like the four-seam fastball was hit hard. Lefties got four-seams and cutters for strikes, with changeups deeper in counts. The slow ball strike rate was an abysmal 49% to lefties, and needs to see improvements to become a viable weapon.

Kelly’s approach against righties is sound, while he needs an “out-pitch” against lefties. Despite this, his OPS allowed was .831 against right-handed hitters and just .604 against lefties. I’ll chalk this up to bad luck. He struck out 29.3% of righties compared to 15.7% of lefties. His batting average on balls in play was over 0.400 against righties and is sure to come down to a more normal rate. His left on base percentage is also sure to come up, unless there are some underlying issues with the stretch that I’m not seeing. If you’re out on Kelly, I don’t blame you. After looking into the numbers, I’ll go the other way and predict that Kelly will be a key member of the Red Sox bullpen by the end of the season.

Ryan Watson

Ryan Watson was a Rule 5 draft pick, which gives him a solid chance to break camp with the team. He won’t be used in high-leverage spots, which means his job is to throw strikes. If he can throw strikes and handle low-leverage work, he’ll potentially be used in more meaningful spots later in the season. In the minors, he used a fastball, sinker, slider, and curveball. His four-seam hasn’t missed bats in the minors, but his low-release and above-average extension should allow the pitch to play at the top of the zone. His slider and curveball have each shown the ability to create whiffs as well. In his first spring training outing, he featured a low-90s cutter as well that has potential. The stuff doesn’t jump off the page, but he has weapons to attack both sides of the plate and provide an inning or two of relief at a time.

Kyle Keller

Of the non-roster invitees, Keller has the best chance to make the roster given the financial commitment. He’s in line to make $1.8 million if he breaks camp with the team. I don’t know a ton about Keller; he’s spent the last several seasons in Japan, most recently with the Yomiuri Giants. He has a fastball, cutter, curveball mix, with the four-seam making up the bulk of his arsenal. It comes in at 151.7 kilometers per hour, which sounds pretty fast, but is actually about 94 mph. His secondary pitches were used in a small sample, as far as I can tell, with middling results. He also walked three men in his second spring training outing, which you can’t afford to do as one of the lower-leverage arms in the bullpen. The Red Sox are willing to pay him if he makes the roster, so there’s clearly something they like, though.

Tayron Guerrero

Tayron Guerrero wasn’t a name I knew until Christopher Smith wrote about his journey to Boston, but now I’m all in. He’s a 6-foot-8 righty with massive velocity and command issues. He started playing baseball in 2007 after watching the Red Sox win the World Series, and was in the major leagues less than 10 years later. He hasn’t been able to stick with a big league team, bouncing around from organization to organization and spending time overseas, but his velocity gives him a chance to be special if he can find the zone. He’s using a four-seam and a two-seam that each get up to 100 mph, a splitter, and is working on a gyro-slider as a way to be in the strike zone more often. He’s on a minor league deal and is unlikely to make the opening day roster, but if he proves the ability to throw strikes, he could climb the bullpen trust tree and end up in high-leverage spots. Of the names at the bottom of this list, Guerrero has the highest ceiling.

Seth Martinez

Did you like John Schreiber? If so, you’re gonna love Seth Martinez. Martinez spent last season with the Marlins, primarily in Triple-A. Before that, he made 111 appearances for the Astros from 2021 to 2024, registering a 3.93 ERA over that time. He’s a side-armer with big extension who tops out about 90 mph, using a sinker, cutter, four-seam, sweeper, and changeup. His fastball is super flat, and in theory, should play at the top of the zone, while his sinker can work to jam righties. His sweeper and changeup have each shown bat-missing ability in the past, but his lack of velocity caps his ceiling and makes command paramount. He’s another non-roster invitee with an outside shot to make the team.

Noah Song

He exists! He’s thrown a few single innings in relief so far this spring, and his slider looks sharp. His fastball has high vertical movement, and his changeup shape is super interesting. *Insert Rick Reilly-style joke comparing the length of Noah Song’s story to a Grateful Dead song.* It’s probably a long shot at this point, but I could be convinced.

Vinny Nittoli

Aye! I’m relievin’ here! Nittoli is a non-roster invitee with some major league experience. He uses primarily a cutter that doesn’t actually cut, from a low arm angle. It’s not something I’ve seen before, which could be a classic case of survivorship bias, but it could also provide a look that hitters haven’t seen before. He uses a sinker, changeup, and sweeper as well. He’s kind of like Cooper Criswell, but more Italian-sounding.

Devin Sweet

Having different looks out of the bullpen is important. The Red Sox have an affinity for low-slot pitchers, while Devin Sweet is the opposite. He’s got a very high arm angle that creates a ton of vertical movement on his fastball. He also has a cool changeup shape that has a huge velocity and movement separation from that fastball. Early Spring Training hasn’t gone well for him, and he’s had problems throwing strikes, but there’s some real swing and miss stuff if he can harness it.

One of the more exciting parts of spring training in recent years has been the annual Spring Breakout series of games in which top prospects across all levels of each of the thirty organizations square off. This year, Mets prospects will face Rays prospects on Thursday, March 19 at 7:10 PM EDT at Clover Field in Port St. Lucie. And here’s the Mets’ roster pool for the event. The list will be whittled down to twenty-something players by the day of that game.

Pitchers

• Juan Arnaud, RHP
• Channing Austin, RHP
• Hoss Brewer, RHP
• Nicolas Carreño, LHP
• Saúl García, RHP
• Brendan Girton, RHP
• Cristofer Gómez, RHP
• R.J. Gordon, RHP
• Nathan Hall RHP
• Noah Hall, RHP
• Peter Kussow, RHP
• Ryan Lambert, RHP
• Camden Lohman, RHP
• Douglas Orellana, RHP, NR
• Jonathan Pintaro, RHP
• Dylan Ross, RHP
• Jonathan Santucci, LHP
• Ben Simon, RHP
• Zach Thornton, LHP
• Cam Tilly, RHP
• Will Watson, RHP
• Jack Wenninger, RHP

Catchers

• Daiverson Gutierrez, C
• Chris Suero, C/OF
• Julio Zayas, C

Infielders

• Yunior Amparo, UTIL
• Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF
• Randy Guzman, 1B/OF
• Yonatan Henríquez, UTIL
• Antonio Jimenez, SS
• Elian Pena, SS
• Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B
• D’Andre Smith, 2B
• Trey Snyder, SS
• Marco Vargas, INF
• Mitch Voit, 2B

Outfielders

• A.J. Ewing, OF/2B
• Edward Lantigua, OF
• Nick Morabito, OF
• Eli Serrano III, OF

In 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers,Clayton Kershaw put together a rather impressive career that likely will make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer, all while quickly becoming one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of his generation.

It's a lengthy list of accomplishments that includes three National League Cy Young Awards, three World Series rings and 11 All-Star Game selections. He is also just one of 20 pitchers in Major League Baseball history to reach the 3,000 career strikeout mark, a feat he accomplished in July of last year.

He now looks to add another accolade to his Hall of Fame plaque: World Baseball Classic champion with Team USA.

WBC POWER RANKINGS: Which teams have best odds to win?

"I'm so excited to be here and be with this group. ... I Amazon'd all my gear. I'm ready, dude," Kershaw jokingly said on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday, March 2. "I've been ready for a long time. I'm just so fired up to be on this team. And I told them, D-Ro (Mark DeRosa) and Andy Pettitte, our pitching guy, 'Whatever you guys want. I'll throw zero. I'll throw every game. It doesn't matter. I'm done after this. I'll do whatever you want.'"

But if Kershaw is retired from The Show, why is he playing in the WBC for Team USA?

Here's what to know about Kershaw:

Is Clayton Kershaw retired?

Yes, Kershaw is recently retired. The WBC is going to be the final competition that Kershaw will pitch in.

He announced his intention to retire after 18 seasons in Dodger Blue on Thursday, Sept. 18 at a news conference inside Dodger Stadium.

"I’m at peace with it and I think it’s the right time," Kershaw said. "It’s been a fun year and such a blast. I can’t think of a better season to go out, but we have a lot to accomplish."

Much like how Peyton Manning went off into the sunset after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, Kershaw had a Hollywood ending, as the Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings of Game 7 of the World Series."It’s not a sad feeling. It really isn’t," Kershaw said following Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. "I will, forever, for the rest of my life, get to say, we won Game 7 of the World Series the last game I played. You can’t script it, you can’t write it up.

"Even if I was not throwing 88, I’d still be done. It’s just the perfect way to end it."

Is Clayton Kershaw playing in WBC?

Yes, the former Dodgers left-hander is competing in the WBC. It's the first time that Kershaw is playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which is in its sixth iteration.

He is expected to come out of the bullpen for Team USA.

Clayton Kershaw is back on the mound 👀 pic.twitter.com/h5Cz7fZHm1

— MLB (@MLB) March 2, 2026

Why is Clayton Kershaw playing for Team USA in WBC?

In his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on March 2, the three-time World Series champion called being in the WBC and wearing the Team USA jersey a "bucket list" thing for him as a ballplayer.

"I've tried to be on this team a few different times and it hadn't worked out for numerous reasons. But now that I finally get to do it and represent the USA and get to play baseball, it's an amazing thing," Kershaw said. "We were all watching the Winter Olympics and seeing the (men's and women's) hockey teams win and just to kind of see the nation support them and be behind them, it was amazing.

"To get to do that in a baseball uniform for Team USA is a bucket list thing for me. I'm so grateful to get to be on the team, and it's going to be a blast."

"It's so cool to represent my country and it's such an amazing thing..

I'm so grateful to be on this team and it's gonna be a blast" ~ @ClaytonKersh22#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/KVLB5iNnRb

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 2, 2026

Having the veteran southpaw on the roster was an important one for Team USA manager Mark DeRosa. His presence is perhaps even more important for Team USA heading into Pool C play in Houston, as back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is expected to make just one start before returning to the Grapefruit League with the Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean is dealing with an illness that stopped him from reporting to Team USA's camp in Arizona with everyone else.

"He was important to me," DeRosa said of Kershaw's roster spot, according to MLB.com. "The way the tournament is set up, if a starter was to falter and not be able to give you length … you needed kind of a break-glass-in-[case-of]-emergency kind of pitcher. There’s no one on an active roster that’s willing to come and sit here and maybe not get to pitch. When we put our heads together, he was one of the best to ever do it, the guys would want to be around him, learn from him, and in case of emergency, he’d be out there and kind of reset us.”

Clayton Kershaw stats 

• 223-96 career record in 2,855 ⅓ innings with a career 2.53 ERA
• 3,052 strikeouts
• 3-time World Series winner (2020, 2024, 2025)
• 2014 National League MVP
• 3-time NL Cy Young Winner (2011, 2013, 2014)
• 11-time NL All-Star

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Clayton Kershaw retired? Ex-Dodgers ace playing in WBC for Team USA

One of the darkhorses of the World Baseball Classic always turns out to be the Netherlands.

The Dutch placed fourth in the 2013 and 2017 WBC tournaments and return a strong team that can be a contender again this season. Of course, the Netherlands is managed by someone who comes from a winning background.

Former Atlanta Braves star centerfielder, class of 2026 Hall of Famer and Curaçao native Andrew Jones is the first-time manager for the squad, which also features his son, Druw Jones. The upstart group features a roster of current and former MLB players in Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius, Ceddanne Rafaela and Kenley Jansen.

One of the biggest feeders of the Netherlands' pitching staff and roster this season will be the home island of Jones, in Curaçao. Baseball is a major event in the Caribbean island, which is a constituent country of the Netherlands.

Curaçao places a total of eight players from the island nation on the roster for the Netherlands, a team that Jones played for in the 2006 and 2013 World Baseball Classics.

MORE: Ranking past World Baseball Classic champions

Here's what you need to know about Curaçao:

Curaçao population

The island national made news last November qualifying for the 2026 World Cup as the smallest country to ever do so, with a population of just 156,000.

A team led by current MLB players Jonathan Schoop and suspended Atlanta Braves infielder Jurickson Profar, led a Willemstad, Curaçao, team to the Little League World Series championship title in 2004.

Curaçao is located in the southern Caribbean just north of the Venezuela coast. It became an autonomous territory in 2010, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Curaçao players on Netherlands WBC roster

Here's a look at the eight players from Curaçao on the Netherlands' roster. All of them are pitchers:

• Jamdrick Cornelia, LHP
• Jaydenn Estanista, RHP
• Wendell Floranus, RHP
• Kenley Jansen, RHP
• Kevin Kelly, RHP
• Shairon Martis, RHP
• J. C. Sulbaran, RHP
• Dylan Wilson, RHP

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Baseball Classic 2026: Netherlands, Curaçao roster explained

There’s no point, Nolan Arenado figured, in waiting for a phone call that wasn’t likely to come.

That’s one reason why Arenado, after twice playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, is representing Puerto Rico in this year’s edition.

His mother is the other driving force.

Arenado’s father is Cuban and his mother Puerto Rican, but the California native represented Team USA with distinction in two WBCs – as part of their 2017 championship squad, and then in 2023 contributing 10 hits and a 1.025 OPS for the squad that fell just short in the title game against Japan.

Arenado finished third in NL MVP voting in 2022, hitting 30 homers and driving in 103 runs for the St. Louis Cardinals; he was an easy pick as Team USA’s primary third baseman in 2023 and went on to an eighth All-Star Game selection that summer.

Yet his mid-30s plateau had arrived.

As his WAR dropped from 7.9 in 2022 to 1.3 as a 34-year-old in 2025, Arenado wondered if his old gig for Team USA had expired.

Sure enough, the Americans called on Alex Bregman and Gunnar Henderson to man the hot corner, leaving an opening for his former Cardinals teammate Yadier Molina, the manager of Puerto Rico’s WBC squad.

“I wanted to play for USA again, but I didn’t get the call," Arenado told USA TODAY Sports this spring. “Honestly, I didn’t deserve the call. And when Yadi called me about it, I felt a little hesitant about it because I played on USA, and I was recovering from a shoulder surgery.

“But my mom really wanted me to do it, and my family kept telling me to do it."

So, Arenado will don different shades of red and blue, on behalf of the Boricua.

Just like that, he’s by far the most accomplished player on his WBC squad, with Puerto Rico’s infield dotted with part-time major leaguers such as Emmanuel Rivera and Darell Hernaiz.

Still, Puerto Rico has a knack for WBC success – it joins Team USA, Japan and Cuba as the only countries to advance out of pool play in all five tournaments. And Arenado himself has participated in the past two championship games.

And, with Carlos Correa failing to obtain insurance for the tournament, Arenado will be at his familiar third base position, aiming to glean the benefits of full go baseball as he prepares for his first season with his third team, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I love it, for me, selfishly, it's the energy," says Arenado. “It gets you mentally ready for the season. Obviously, the stakes are high right away, which is tough, but it brings that intensity. It brings the focus that you only get when opening day of the season starts.

“I really think it’s beneficial."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Nolan Arenado is on Puerto Rican team after prior USA WBC service

Who doesn't love free baseball?

Fans at the 2026 World Baseball Classic will surely have no issues if the game they attend goes extra innings, providing more bang for their bucks on the tickets purchased. That means more time to soak in the environment at the top level of international baseball.

However, the organizers of the WBC may not be fans of potentially elongated games. With most MLB players only in early Spring Training mode, pitch count limits and mercy rule regulations have been put in place to protect the players.

One rule to limit an extra-inning game from going too long is the ghost runner being placed on second base in the extra innings. Here's what you need to know about the ghost runner in extra innings in the WBC:

Is there a ghost runner in extra innings in the World Baseball Classic?

There are no ties in baseball. That means a game must continue until there is a winner. So, yes, the World Baseball Classic will have the ghost runner rule for extra innings in 2026.

So starting in the 10th inning, a runner is placed on second base with zero outs. This rule is similar to the one in MLB, where the last out of the previous inning is placed on second to start the inning. Of course, this rule for MLB is in the regular season only.

This was a rule that was also in place for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is there a ghost runner in extra innings the 2026 World Baseball Classic?

He was a star on the Cuban team that participated in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s U-18 Baseball World Cup in 2013.

At 19, he was the starting second baseman for Pinar del Rio in the Cuban National Series

And after his breakout performance during the 2020 MLB postseason, news outlets referenced his given nickname El Cohete Cubano, "The Cuban Rocket."

So why is Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena – born in Mantua, a small town about 170 miles west of the Cuban capital of Havana – playing for Mexico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic?

The short answer is because Arozarena is a Mexican citizen, thus qualifying him to play for the Mexican national baseball team.

Why is Randy Arozarena playing on Mexico?

Arozarena, who fled Cuba in 2015, became in Mexican citizen in April 2022.

The previous year, Arozarena had posted his desire to become a Mexican citizen on Instagram, asking then-Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador to expedite his citizenship application so Arozarena could represent Mexico in the WBC.

It apparently worked.

According to a 2023 story on MLB.com, Mexican secretary of foreign affairs Marcelo Ebrard helped Arozarena become a Mexican citizen.

Arozarena went on to play for Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, earning a WBC All-Tournament Team award, which was presented to Arozarena by Ebrard before a Tampa Bay Rays' game in May 2023.

How did Randy Arozarena flee Cuba?

According a 2020 New York Times story, Arozarena began feeling alienated by his team in Cuba following the 2014 death of his father. With officials there fearing he might defect, Arozarena was left off Pinar del Río’s roster for the 2015 Caribbean Series in Puerto Rico.

He decided it was time to leave.

Arozarena said he took an eight-hour boat ride on rough seas in June 2015 to Isla Mujeres, just off the coast from Cancún, Mexico, establishing residency in a third country so he could sign as an international free agent with any MLB team.

The St. Louis Cardinals signed Arozarena on Aug. 1, 2016. He made his MLB debut on Aug. 14, 2019 before the Cardinals traded him to the Rays in January 2020.

Randy Arozarena stats

In seven MLB seasons, Arozarena is a two-time All-Star with a career .250 average, 118 home runs, 390 RBIs and 131 stolen bases, while playing for Cardinals, Rays and Mariners.

Arozarena had a spectacular postseason in 2020, earning ALCS MVP honors after batting .321 with four home runs and a 1.152 OPS in the seven-game series against the Houston Astros. He became the first rookie position player in MLB history to win an LCS or World Series MVP award.

Arozarena won AL Rookie of the Year in 2021 after batting .274 with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Randy Arozarena playing on Mexico in World Baseball Classic?

They are well-decorated, yet many are still in their prime. A handful with extremely bright futures, but already a significant number of accomplishments on their dossier. A few more who might merely be hood ornaments on this ride, yet can add gravitas and depth, nonetheless.

It isn't hard to argue that Team USA is sending its most talented group to the World Baseball Classic in the six iterations of this tournament.

Four players have won MVP awards, with four more claiming runner-up finishes, including two guys, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr., who would have won top AL honors the past two seasons were it not for three-time winner Aaron Judge.

Oh yeah, he’s on the team, too.

Sure, you can’t overwhelm opponents merely with star power, nor can you field more than 10 guys at a time. Still, this squad is both well-accomplished but also largely in its prime.

Outside the bullpen, every guy save for youngsters Roman Anthony, Brice Turang and Nolan McLean, along with veteran Ernie Clement – who’s merely coming off a record-setting 30-hit postseason – has been an All-Star.

Here's a breakdown of the roster and each guy’s role in the effort to win a second WBC crown:

Catchers

Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners

Age: 29

All-Star appearance: 2025

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 7.4 WAR, 60 homers, 125 RBI, .948 OPS.

Likely role: Starting catcher. Big Dumper can take a load off after years of carrying Seattle’s offense at various times in recent years, and his switch-hitting power will give manager Mark DeRosa significant lineup flexibility.

Will Smith, C, Dodgers

Age: 30

All-Star appearances: Three

Last year: 4.5 WAR, 17 homers, .404 OBP, .901 OPS in 110 games

Likely role: Part-time catcher. Smith flirted with a batting title for a while last year and showed he’s the Dodgers’ off-Broadway MVP by catching every postseason inning and striking the go-ahead, 11^th-inning home run in World Series Game 7. Yes, the man will not shrink from this global stage.

Infielders

Alex Bregman, 3B, Cubs

Age: 31

All-Star appearances: Three

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 3.5 WAR, .821 OPS, 18 homers in 114 games

Likely role: Primary third baseman. This will be Bregman’s first WBC since earning five plate appearances with the 2017 champions; his role should be much larger this time. Suddenly a veteran of three teams, Bregman’s Pied Piper leadership and ball knowledge will be a significant asset this time around.

Ernie Clement, 2B, Blue Jays

Age: 29

Last year: 4.3 WAR, 35 doubles, .711 OPS in 157 games

Likely role: Deluxe utility guy. Clement can play any position on the infield – and roam the outfield in a pinch – and is coming off a record 30-hit postseason that capped a stellar all-around season.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Yankees

Age: 38

All-Star appearances: Seven

Honors: 2022 NL MVP, four-time Gold Glove winner

Last year: 1.2 WAR, 10 homers in 534 plate appearances

Likely role: Right-handed bat off the bench. Goldschmidt’s splits went extreme last year: .336/.411/.570 against left-handers, .247/.289/.329 against righties.

Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies

Age: 33

All-Star appearances: Eight

Honors: 2015 NL MVP, 2021 NL MVP, 2012 Rookie of the Year

Last year: 3.1 WAR, 27 homers, .844 OPS in 132 games

Likely role: Primary first baseman. Harper’s first high-profile chance to reclaim the “elite” tag his club president questioned this winter. Harper’s 126 adjusted OPS was his lowest since 2019.

Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B, Orioles

Age: 24

All-Star appearance: 2024

Honors: 2023 AL Rookie of the Year

Last year: 5.3 WAR, 17 homers, .787 OPS in 154 games

Likely role: Part-time third baseman. Henderson will likely share time with Bregman at third, the start of a campaign he hopes looks much more like his 37-homer 2024 after playing through a shoulder impingement last season.

Brice Turang, 2B, Brewers

Age: 26

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 5.6 WAR, 18 homers, 97 runs, .794 OPS

Likely role: Primary second baseman. Turang is a fantastic all-around player whose presence will only help in the always-tricky area of team adhesion in a brief sample size.

Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals

Age: 25

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: Two-time Gold Glove winner

Last year: 7.1 WAR, 23 homers, 38 stolen bases, .852 OPS

Likely role: Primary shortstop. Witt was a bit player as Trea Turner starred in 2023. Little reason to think he won’t be that guy this time around.

Outfielders

Roman Anthony, LF, Red Sox

Age: 21

Last year: 3.1 WAR, eight homers, .859 OPS in 71 games

Likely role: Part-time left fielder. As you likely know well, Anthony’s sparse resume belies his status as one of the game’s most imposing hitters. Will be a weapon in the top or middle of the lineup or as a bat off the bench.

Byron Buxton, CF, Twins

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2025

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 4.9 WAR, 35 homers, 97 runs, .878 OPS

Likely role: Center field platoon. Buxton’s power and defense – he put up those 35 homers in 126 games a year ago – will be a significant asset, especially against lefty starters.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Cubs

Age: 23

All-Star appearance: 2025

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 6.0 WAR, 31 homers, 35 stolen bases, .768 OPS

Likely role: Center field platoon. Team USA isn’t expecting First Half PCA – when he hit 25 homers with an .847 OPS, compared to six and .634 after the break – but will settle for elite defense and the ability to ambush at the bottom of the order.

Aaron Judge, RF, Yankees

Age: 33

All-Star appearances: Seven

Honors: 2022, 2024-25 AL MVP, 2017 Rookie of the Year

Last year: 9.7 WAR, 53 homers, .331 average, 1.144 OPS

Likely role: Starting right fielder. After leading the majors in all the slash categories and WAR, Judge enters this WBC on a career high. And will have unparalleled lineup protection in this sprint to the finals.

Designated hitter

Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: Three

Last year: 4.7 WAR, 56 homers, .928 OPS

Likely role: Starting DH. Schwarber is immediate danger wherever DeRosa pencils him in – perhaps tucked between Witt and Judge? – and seems destined to have at least one meet-the-moment sequence in this tourney.

Starting pitchers

Matthew Boyd, LHP, Cubs

Age: 35

All-Star appearance: 2025

Last year: 2.5 WAR, 14 wins, 1.09 WHIP in 179 2/3 innings

Likely role: Should get a start or two and perhaps be deployed out of the bullpen against a lefty-heavy pocket. Steady, deceptive and occasionally dominant despite a 92 mph fastball.

Clay Holmes, RHP, Mets

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2024

Last year: 1.9 WAR, 3.53 ERA over 165 2/3 innings

Likely role: He’s been an All-Star closer and successfully reverted to a starting role last year, especially in the first half. That makes him particularly valuable in this format, able to log multiple innings in any role behind his sinker- and sweeper-heavy arsenal.

Clayton Kershaw, LHP, retired

Age: 37

Last year: 1.6 WAR, 11 wins, 3.36 ERA over 112 2/3 innings

All-Star appearances: 11

Honors: NL Cy Young winner (2011, 2013, 2014), NL MVP (2014), Gold Glove

Likely role: Sure, it might be largely ceremonial and perhaps his biggest value will be as clubhouse sage and, as they say, showing the younger guys “how to go about your business.” But Kershaw was very good as a starter last season, got one huge out in Game 5 of the World Series and was on the verge of entering Game 7 in the 11^th inning when the Dodgers won it. The man will get the ball. Question is, how big of a spot?

Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets

Age: 24

Last year: 1.8 WAR, 5-1, 2.06 ERA over eight major league starts

Likely role: A big wild card – McLean has a dominant fastball, a legitimate six-pitch mix and a nearly unsullied big league resume to this point. How much do you pour into a guy with just eight starts to his name? For now McLean is slated to start the fourth pool play game against a respectable Italy squad - and leave him on turn should Team USA reach the championship.

Joe Ryan, RHP, Twins

Age: 29

All-Star appearance: 2025

Last year: 4.5 WAR, 194 strikeouts in 171 innings.

Likely role: A back injury will keep Ryan out of pool play and might force his removal from the roster.

Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates

Age: 23

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: 2023 Rookie of the Year, 2024 NL Cy Young Award

Last year: 7.7 WAR, 1.97 ERA, 216 strikeouts in 187 2/3 innings

Likely role: Ace. Simple enough? With AL Cy Young counterpart Tarik Skubal limited to one start, Skenes will start a pool play game - March 9 against Mexico - and likely get the semifinal nod should Team USA get there.

Tarik Skubal, LHP, Tigers

Age: 29

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: 2024, 2025 AL Cy Young Awards

Last year: 6.5 WAR, 241 strikeouts, 2.21 ERA, AL-best 2.45 FIP, major league-best 0.89 WHIP.

Likely role: One and done. Skubal, entering a season after which he’s expected to be the most coveted pitching free agent in history, has said he’ll start just one game and head back to Florida and resume training with the Tigers. He got his pitch count up to 44 – and hit 99 mph on his fastball – in his final exhibition start before the WBC and should top the 50-pitch mark in his March 7 start against against Great Britain.

Michael Wacha, RHP, Royals

Age: 34

All-Star appearance: 2015

Last year: 2.8 WAR, 3.86 ERA over 172 2/3 innings.

Likely role: Innings eater. Team USA has so much dominant swing-and-miss – a facet they’ve missed in many past WBCs – that Wacha can be looked to for coverage, particularly in pool play action.

Logan Webb, RHP, Giants

Age: 29

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 3.8 WAR, MLB-high 207 innings pitched, NL-high 224 strikeouts

Likely role: Frontline starter. While Skubal and Skenes stole the headlines, Webb’s commitment might be the most important on this squad, giving it pitching depth no previous USA group enjoyed. He'll get the ball in the March 6 opener against Brazil and almost certainly a starting assignment in the knockout rounds.

Relievers

David Bednar, RHP, Yankees

Age: 31

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2023

Last year: 2.2 WAR, 27 saves, 86 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings

Likely role: Potential closer. Bednar flourished after a trade to the Yankees, seizing the ninth-inning role and saving 10 games. Reliable presence after the high-leverage heat enters earlier.

Garrett Cleavinger, LHP, Rays

Age: 31

Last year: 1.9 WAR, 2.35 ERA, 82 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings.

Likely role: Lefty-leaning specialist. Cleavinger’s splits were fairly neutral last season – really good against both right- (.183/.264/.338) and left-handed (.187/.274/.347) hitters. He’ll be joined by Gabe Speier and potentially Kershaw as lefties out of the bullpen.

Griffin Jax, RHP, Rays

Age: 31

Last year: 0.5 WAR, 4.23 ERA, 99 strikeouts in 66 innings

Likely role: Lower-leverage strikeout specialist. Jax got all but 11 of his punchouts on his sweeper and changeup last season, presenting a different look between Team USA’s starters and highest-leverage guys.

Brad Keller, RHP, Phillies

Age: 30

Last year: 1.4 WAR, 0.96 WHIP, 75 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings.

Likely role: Seventh- or eighth-inning guy. Keller was a reliable piece for the Cubs last season, prompting the Phillies to sign him to work ahead of closer Jhoan Duran.

Mason Miller, RHP, Padres

Age: 27

All-Star appearance: 2024

Last year: 2.2 WAR, 15.2 strikeouts per nine innings, 0.91 WHIP

Likely role: Fireman. Miller’s 101 mph fastball and wipeout slider are an almost unparalleled combo in this tournament or on any given major league day. So think of him deploying in the hottest spots possible – say, to handle Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Junior Caminero and Manny Machado in the late innings against the Dominican – regardless of closer designation.

Gabe Speier, LHP, Mariners

Age: 30

Last year: 1.4 WAR, 0.87 WHIP, 82 strikeouts in 62 innings

Likely role: Left-on-left arm of death. Speier was great against all comers but, even moreso than Cleavinger, was merciless on lefties, holding them to a .179/.214/.302 line and 42 strikeouts to just two walks in 112 plate appearances.

Garrett Whitlock, RHP, Red Sox

Age: 29

Last year: 2.4 WAR, 1.08 WHIP, 91 strikeouts in 72 innings

Likely role: Set-up man. Whitlock owned the eighth inning in Boston, and gave up just two home runs, using his power sinker to induce whiffs, ground balls and chase.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Team USA World Baseball Classic 2026 roster breakdown