The World Baseball Classic may not begin until March, but you could be forgiven for thinking that it all kicked off in December. On Tuesday, managers, general managers, and team officials for all 20 teams participating in next year’s tournament gathered at the Signia by Hilton Orlando for the 2026 World Baseball Classic media day.
There, before an army of media members, team representatives confirmed interest in more than a dozen MLB stars who they expect to join them at this spring’s World Baseball Classic. Leading the way were superstars Elly De La Cruz, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. for the Dominican Republic, Randy Arozarena returning to play for Mexico — with whom he starred for in 2023 — and 2024 No. 1 overall Draft pick Travis Bazzana lining up for Australia. In addition, Team USA announced a flurry of players, including Gunnar Henderson, Will Smith, Kyle Schwarber and Brice Turang to start the day.
Of course, it’s important to note a caveat here: While all the players we list here have been confirmed to have interest in participating or have an intention to play, rosters will not be finalized until early February. Until then, nothing is official.
When Travis Bazzana was still in college and lighting up Cape Cod League boxscores, he had a dream: Leading off and playing second for the Australian national team at the World Baseball Classic. Well, he’ll get his chance now. Australia manger Dave Nilsson told Rob Bradford that the Guardians’ top prospect and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft intends to play for the team in 2026. He recently represented Australia at the 2024 Premier12, going 5-for-19 with an RBI as one of the youngest players on the team.
Prospect hounds, get excited: Cubs top prospect Owen Caissie intends to play for Canada once again at the 2026 Classic. Just 23 years old, Caissie represented Canada in the 2023 tournament, going 3-for-13 with a home run and four RBIs. Now, after making a brief Major League debut with the Cubs this past summer, he’ll try to help a Canadian team that could surprise. The decision was confirmed by Team Canada GM Greg Hamilton, who told Meghan Montemurro that the 2023 Classic was a