#world-baseball-classic-2026

#world-baseball-classic-2026

Especially when you are three days from submitting your final roster. Who in the world would think Lindor wasn't on the (eligible) list? You wait until the last weekend to get an answer on Lindor? C'mon. It took us by surprise. I know the WBC isn't in those decisions. It's the insurance companies. But you have guys on other teams, they have an injury history and then I got guys on my roster who will be playing at the Double-A level with no (major-league) guarantee, no MLB invitation (to spring training), and they get flagged. And guys on other teams who can play in the WBC are earning $30 million per year. It's kind of tough to understand it.

"I didn't have a conversation, per se, with the team," Sasaki said through his interpreter at DodgerFest. "It was really up to the team. You know, it was really the team that decided. But for me, my mentality is it's going to be a lot of competition to earn the spot in the rotation, so that's my mindset going into Spring Training."

Relief pitcher Daniel Palencia will pitch for Team Venezuela in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, his agency announced Tuesday. Palencia had an interesting year with the Cubs. He recorded 22 saves during the regular season, but his usage changed drastically in the playoffs. Instead of remaining in the bullpen until the ninth inning, Craig Counsell used him earlier in games.

If there was a non-Juan-Soto bright spot that emerged from the New York Mets' disastrous 2025 campaign, it was the emergence of Nolan McLean. The organization's top pitching prospect dazzled in his five-week MLB debut, going 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA in eight starts while setting some significant records along the way. Team USA came calling this week, as they added the 24-year-old to their roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which runs from March 5-17.