Jumping Into the World Baseball Classic’s Pool A

Final rosters for the 2026 World Baseball Classic were announced late last week, so aside from small changes due to injuries or insurance eligibility decisions, we now know who will be suiting up for each nation when the tournament begins early next month. In this series of posts you’ll find a team-by-team breakdown with notable players, storylines to monitor, and speculation on the serious stuff, such as how the squad will fare on the field, as well as commentary on some of the less serious stuff, like uniforms and team aura.

First, a quick refresher on how the WBC works and all the important details for this year’s edition. Twenty nations qualify for the tournament based on performance either in pool play during the previous WBC or during qualifying events last spring. The 20 teams are divided into four pools of five teams for the first stage of the tournament, which runs from March 5 to March 11. Team pool assignments were made last April and attempted to prioritize competitive balance (understanding that final rosters were not yet known), with host nations assigned to pools playing in their home countries. This year, pool play will be conducted at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Daikin Park in Houston, the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, and LoanDepot Park in Miami.

During pool play, each team plays the other four teams in its assigned pool, and the two teams with the best record in each pool advance to the Knockout stage. During the Knockout stage, the remaining eight teams are placed into a single-elimination bracket that will determine the overall winner. The first round of bracket play will take place on March 13 and 14, with the semifinals on March 15 and 16, and the championship game on March 17.

And if reading all of those logistics has you too amped to wait all the way until March 5 for the official first pitch — well, March 5 in Japan anyway; the opening game begins at 10 p.m. ET on March 4 — teams will be participating in a series of friendlies to get primed for the tournament starting on February 20. Most of the early exhibition games will be played in Japan, Nicaragua, and Taiwan (and therefore, tough for fans stateside to keep tabs on), but on March 3 and 4 the national teams participating in pool play in either Houston or Miami will face off against MLB squads at spring training sites in both Arizona and Florida.

Now that we’ve got all the scheduling and structural details sorted, we can jump into the pools. This post will cover Pool A, with a subsequent post to follow on Pools B, C, and D. A few of the roster discussions will mention players who either will not be participating because they were denied insurance coverage by MLB’s provider, or whose roster status is uncertain because the decision to deny coverage is currently being appealed. Without wandering too far down this particular tangent, it appears that the league’s insurance provider has increased the cost of insuring players against injury during the event and decreased the amount of injury risk it’s willing to absorb. Thus, older players and players with recent injury histories were deemed ineligible for coverage. The change stems from meaningful injuries to players like Edwin Díaz and Jose Altuve during the 2023 WBC. Under the new operating procedure, certain teams lost key contributors, so it’s worth noting the absences as we evaluate each squad’s likelihood to advance out of pool play.

In addition to breaking down the rosters, each team’s blurb will also contain a bit of a vibe check in two primary mediums — music and fashion. Since we’re talking national teams, I’ll be suggesting a secondary anthem for each squad, not as a replacement for any country’s actual anthem, but more of an informal, and very much impermanent alternative. Think of it as a song that speaks to the team’s energy in the current moment, while keeping in mind that the energy could change at any time. Then, on the “look good, feel good” front, we’ll check out the uniforms each team will sport this year and render a quick upgrade/downgrade judgement relative to their 2023 threads. The uniforms for the current iteration of the tournament were largely handled by Nike (Team Japan, with its uniforms made by Mizuno, is the lone exception), whereas in the past each individual country did its own thing. This means every team will have the same quality of uniform, but also that Nike is the one guaranteeing the quality, which could mean anything at this point. It also means less variation in uniform design, as it’s clear Nike used the same two templates for every team.

Puerto Rico

Full Roster

Heading into the 2023 WBC, the Dominican Republic was among the teams favored to win it all, but with a win on the final day of pool play, Puerto Rico eliminated the D.R. and advanced to the Knockout stage, where it lost a one-run game to Mexico in the quarterfinals. But as the team hit hardest by the changes to insurance policies, Puerto Rico will look quite a bit different this year. Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, José Berríos, Emilio Pagán, and Alexis Díaz, among others, will not be participating due to denied coverage. And if that weren’t enough, Javier Báez will be serving a suspension after testing positive for marijuana consumption at the end of the last WBC. (Note: MLB no longer includes marijuana on its banned substance list, but it is still banned under the rules governing international play.) Early last week, before final rosters were submitted, officials from Team Puerto Rico indicated that it may need to withdraw from this year’s WBC altogether, given the volume of players and star power missing from the roster. One of this year’s host countries dropping out mere weeks before the tournament certainly would have cast a grim pall on the proceedings.

As it stands, Team Puerto Rico is participating and will be headlined by the aforementioned Edwin Díaz, who unlike his younger brother Alexis is eligible to play, despite his role as the partial catalyst for tighter insurance restrictions. The Dodgers closer will be joined by Royals starter Seth Lugo, new Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado (who played for the U.S. in both 2017 and 2023), and Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos. Aside from regulars on major league clubs, two other interesting categories of players pop up on WBC rosters: recent (or sometimes not so recent) big leaguers and minor leaguers. Free agent outfielder Eddie Rosario has not officially retired, nor has he seen big league action since May of last year, but he’ll be on Puerto Rico’s roster, perhaps auditioning for a minor league contract. In terms of Team Puerto Rico’s young talent on the rise, right-handed starting pitcher Elmer Rodríguez, with his upper-90s fastball and promising breaking balls, ranked third on the Yankees’ top prospects list from last season, while shortstop Edwin Arroyo, who as a solid defender with the type of impact power not typically seen in middle infielders, came in at no. 17 on the newly published list of the top Reds prospects.

Though this roster is certainly weaker than it would prefer, Pool A is fairly wide open, so Puerto Rico still has a decent shot to advance.

Uniforms Compared to 2023? Downgrade

The 2023 uniforms had some artistic flare to them that just isn’t there with the 2026 ones.

Secondary Anthem: “Uninvited” by Alanis Morissette

Not a lot to explain here. This team is haunted by ghosts of players unable to participate.

Cuba

Full Roster

During the 2023 WBC, Cuba advanced to the Knockout stage, where it beat Australia in the quarterfinals before losing a 14-2 blowout to the U.S. in the semifinals. Prior to the last WBC, Cuban baseball authorities did not allow players living abroad to play for the team. But in 2023, the team loosened its policy on an invitation-only basis, which led to a roster featuring Yoenis Cespedes, Roenis Elías, Yoán Moncada, and Luis Robert Jr. It’s not clear how Team Cuba decided which players to invite and whether any who were invited declined the opportunity, but the lack of transparency and uneven application of the new policy did not sit well with Robert, who issued the following ultimatum back in December, “Until everyone is allowed to play, I won’t play for Team Cuba again.”

With Robert sitting out, and Cespedes and Elías likely opting out due to age, the only active big leaguers remaining on Cuba’s roster are Moncada and Toronto reliever Yariel Rodríguez. Infielder Andy Ibáñez, currently employed by the Athletics, played for the 2023 squad, but does not appear on the roster this time around. That said, if your eye lingered over the word active in the first sentence of this paragraph, wondering if that level of specificity is really necessary, it is. Because former White Sox shortstop and current 44-year-old Alexei Ramirez is making his return to the collective consciousness of U.S. baseball fans after not appearing in a big league lineup in almost a decade. He’ll be competing for playing time with 23-year-old Marlins minor leaguer Yiddi Cappe and 24-year-old Reds farmhand Alexander Vargas. I don’t know if Ramirez and Team Cuba actually intend for him to accrue meaningful playing time in the tournament, much less compete for it, but we can enjoy the notion regardless. Even younger than Cappe and Vargas is 21 year-old Daviel Hurtado, a left-handed starter in the Mets system, who pitched to a 2.70 ERA with a 24.6% strikeout rate over 46 2/3 innings in A-ball last season.

Like Puerto Rico, Cuba’s roster has taken a step back relative to 2023, but in Pool A anything is possible.

Uniforms Compared to 2023? Downgrade

Among the sea of red and blue uniforms, the red to blue ombre on the sleeves of the 2023 uniforms was an eye-catching way for the Cuban players to differentiate themselves, and now all they have is the star on the hat.

Secondary Anthem: “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes

I know, I know, I know. Let me explain. I’m well aware that the White Stripes are from Detroit and that Jack White seems to be some sort of hybrid fan of both the Cubs and Tigers. It’s also true that “Seven Nation Army” is routinely played at every sports venue in North America to get the crowd going, and as a result, nearly every fanbase claims the song as its own. And something that belongs to everyone also belongs to no one, and therefore, I can assign it to whatever team I want. To understand why I’ve selected it for Team Cuba, I’d like to draw your attention to this lyric from the song:

Back and forth through my mind, behind a cigarette

A little light googling of Alexei Ramirez and cigar and/or cigarette will reveal plenty of smoking-related anecdotes in the player’s lore, including one where he was seen smoking a cigar in the dugout before a game. In honor of the 44-year-old’s showing up to play at all, I think it’s only right that Team Cuba gets temporary ownership of the universal hype song that also happens to mention a cigarette.

Canada

Full Roster

Team Canada failed to make it out of pool play in 2023, but it did share a pool with Mexico and the United States, two teams that would’ve been tough for any opponent to edge out. The 2026 roster is remarkably similar to the 2023 one. Though it’ll be without Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, Canada is gaining Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor. On the pitching side, Canada won’t have relievers Matt Brash and Cade Smith of the Mariners and Guardians, respectively, but it will have starter Jameson Taillon of the Cubs. “The Big Maple,” aka James Paxton, will also be taking his rightful place on Team Canada’s pitching staff. Sure, he last pitched in the majors in 2024, but the nickname alone is enough to earn a roster spot. Guardians catcher and Josh’s brother Bo Naylor is returning to the squad, along with Rockies infielder Edouard Julien, Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez, Athletics outfielder/acrobat Denzel Clarke, and Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill.

Among the up and comers on the roster is Owen Caissie, who recently made news as the centerpiece of the Marlins’ return for starting pitcher Edward Cabrera in their trade with the Cubs. Caissie appeared in three games for Canada in 2023 and logged a home run and four RBI, but he still qualifies as a young player that most fans haven’t seen face real competition yet.

Though Canada is returning largely the same roster from 2023, younger players like Lopez, Clarke, Caissie, and Julien have gained considerable experience since then. This team also isn’t in a pool with juggernauts like the U.S. and Mexico this time, so its odds of advancing to the Knockout stage are looking a lot better.

Uniforms Compared to 2023? Upgrade

The only reason these are an improvement is because they chose a more appropriate size for the lettering. Otherwise the 2026 uniforms are completely soulless. The bold stripes on the sleeves and collar of the 2023 version are infinitely better than the ho-hum piping Nike went with, but I can’t get past the tiny fonts, which make the whole 2023 jersey look like a child’s arts and crafts project.

Secondary Anthem: “mangetout” by Wet Leg

Certain parts of Canada famously speak French, and the words “mange tout” in French literally translate to “eat all,” which is a pretty metal catchphrase for a sports team. And since baseball players love saying “let it eat,” it works on that level, too. Furthermore, the internet informs me that mangetout is British slang for “Man, get out,” which is reinforced by the song’s pre-chorus (“Get lost forever” repeated three times). Both “Man, get out” and “Get lost forever” are apt messages to aim at opponent nations. Canada might even have one particular nation in mind as a target for that messaging. But this is where I also have to admit that I came into this exercise determined to assign at least one team a song from the Heated Rivalry soundtrack, and since, for various reasons, Russia doesn’t participate in the WBC, Canada wins.

Panama

Full Roster

In 2023, Panama was part of a pool in which every team went .500 during pool play, but it failed to advance because it ranked fourth in runs allowed per defensive out recorded, which is the metric used for breaking ties in the WBC. Relievers Justin Lawrence and Jaime Barria and catcher Christian Bethancourt were the only big leaguers on the 2023 squad. Barria and Bethancourt are both back this year, though neither is in the majors anymore. Barria pitched in the Mexican League last season, and Bethancourt spent 2025 at Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate. Lawrence will remain in spring training with the Pirates rather than suiting up for Panama this year because he is among those deemed ineligible for insurance.

But Panama will not be without big league talent. Yankees infielder José Caballero has graduated to the majors since his last stint with Team Panama in 2023, and joining the roster are Guardians pitcher Logan Allen, Cubs backup catcher Miguel Amaya, Phillies utility infielder Edmundo Sosa, and — pending an appeal of his denied insurance coverage — Cardinals catcher and DH Iván Herrera. And though that isn’t exactly a list of All-Stars, that group is supplemented by a trio of current/recent prospects. Cardinals catcher Leonardo Bernal posted a 103 wRC+ in 455 Double-A plate appearances last year and ranked ninth on the organization’s 2026 preseason top prospects list. Middle infielder Leo Jiménez got into 18 games for the Blue Jays last year and didn’t really hit at all, but he was roughly a league-average hitter over 210 plate appearances in 2024, that combined with the barrel control he displayed in the minors suggests he’ll figure things out at the plate. Last year, Orioles outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. made it to Triple-A in his second full season of pro ball. He ranked seventh on Baltimore’s 2025 in-season top prospects list and boasts 70-grade speed.

Though Panama’s 2026 roster feels stronger than the 2023 edition, and it once again is in a relatively soft pool of competitors, this team still feels more likely to spoil some other squad’s tournament aspirations than it is to make a deep run.

Uniforms Compared to 2023? Downgrade

I don’t love either version, but the bigger lettering on the 2023 jerseys makes a stronger statement, and the tri-color hat design is less bland, too.

Secondary Anthem: “As Long as We Got Each Other” by B.J. Thomas and Dusty Springfield

This team has two dudes named Leo, one of which is just 21 years old, and the roster as a whole has nine players aged 25 or younger. If you scroll almost all the way to the bottom of Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting credits on IMDb, you’ll find that when he was roughly 17, he appeared in 23 episodes of the television show Growing Pains, which happens to have a real banger of a ‘90s style theme song. And though this should be an entertaining team, it probably has some growing pains to work through before it is ready to make a more titanic splash on the international stage.

Colombia

Full Roster

Colombia mustered just one win in the 2023 WBC and finished last in a pool that included Great Britain. But this year’s squad does boast two notable, albeit aging, additions to the roster. Both were members of the 2017 team but sat out in 2023. The first of that duo is free agent starting pitcher Jose Quintana, who brings 14 seasons of big league experience. He pitched for the Brewers in 2025, throwing 131 2/3 innings and posting a 3.96 ERA and a 4.81 FIP, and though he ended the season on the IL with a calf strain, he was healthy enough to come back and throw five innings in the postseason. The second is 38-year-old infielder Donovan Solano, who has 12 seasons of big league experience and is also a free agent. Most of his playing time in 2025 was with the Mariners, where he posted an 82 wRC+ over 176 plate appearances before Seattle released him on September 1.

Other prominent members of the team include pitchers Nabil Crismatt, who signed a minor league deal with the Rangers after getting DFA’d by the Diamondbacks in September of last season, and Julio Teheran, who spent most of 2023 and 2024 at Triple-A before returning to pitch in the Colombian League last year. On the position player side, there’s catcher Jorge Alfaro, who has been bouncing around the minors since 2023, and infielder Gio Urshela, who signed a minor league deal with the Twins earlier this week after getting released by the Athletics last August. Even though this team is obviously not getting the peak versions of Quintana or Solano, given the lack of real star power elsewhere on the roster, Colombia would still rather have them than not.

Looking at the younger end of the roster, second baseman Michael Arroyo is ranked sixth on the 2026 Mariners top prospects list and has the potential to hit for some power. Beyond Arroyo, the future of Team Colombia starts to look pretty dim.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Colombia will be able to improve on its showing from 2023.

Uniforms Compared to 2023? Downgrade

Going with a shade of yellow that reaches out and slaps you in the face when you look at it as the primary color was a bold move for the 2023 jerseys, and I dig that way more than the cookie-cutter nonsense Nike cooked up. But I will say, I like the 2026 hats more because they get a pop of red in there, and the yellow seems to match the yellow on the uniform better than in the 2023 one, where the shade of yellow on the hat appears slightly off relative to the jersey.

Secondary anthem: “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye

Team Colombia is going to have us out here Remembering Some Guys.