2026 World Baseball Classic rosters: Javy Báez suspended, USA and D.R. load up, more takeaways

The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic is a month away and, Thursday night, rosters for all 20 teams were announced. Team USA is loaded and the early favorite to win the tournament, though they are hardly a lock. Japan is the defending WBC champion, and the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela are also sporting stacked rosters. 

All 20 rosters can be viewed here. The Mets lead the way with 17 players participating in the WBC, though 11 of the 30 MLB teams are sending at least 12 players to the tournament, and 18 MLB teams are sending at least 10. The Astros and Nationals are the laggers with three WBC players apiece. Every other team is sending at least five players to the WBC.

Here now are six takeaways from the WBC roster announcements.

1. This is the best USA roster ever

Both on paper and according to the gory math. Baseball America ran the numbers and found that, based on the previous year's WAR, this is the best roster USA has ever sent to the WBC. Here are the totals via Baseball America:

• 2006: 109.5 WAR in 2005
• 2009: 101.6 WAR in 2008
• 2013: 78.2 WAR in 2012
• 2017: 86.9 WAR in 2016
• 2023: 100.0 WAR in 2022
• 2026: 118.1 WAR in 2025

A reminder how little this matters: USA went 3-3 and was eliminated in the second round in 2006, and the 2017 team went 6-2 and won the WBC. Ultimately, the WBC is small sample sizes on top of small sample sizes, and anything can happen once you get out of pool play and into a single-elimination format. It's baseball. Randomness reigns supreme.

On paper, this is the best roster USA has ever taken into the WBC, especially pitching-wise. The Americans will start their rotation with reigning Cy Young winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, and have Joe Ryan and Logan Webb backing them up. It's the best USA rotation and roster in WBC history. Now it just has to work.

2. The Dominican Republic has the pitching to match its lineup

The Dominican Republic's lineup reads like an All-Star Game lineup: Junior Caminero, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Ketel Marte, Jeremy Peña, Geraldo Perdomo, Julio Rodríguez, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and more. It is a deeper and more powerful offense than even what USA will run out there, plus the defense could be excellent depending who plays where.

Of course, that is more or less the same lineup the Dominican Republic had in the 2023 WBC, when they went 2-2 and rather embarrassingly failed to advance out of the first round. The 2026 team will have much better support on the mound though, with Brayan Bello, Cristopher Sánchez, and Luis Severino joining erstwhile ace Sandy Alcantara. The 2023 rotation included Roansy Contreras and late career Johnny Cueto, and just wasn't very imposing behind Alcantara and Cristian Javier.

Similar to USA, this is the most talented roster the Dominican Republic has ever taken in the WBC, at least on paper. I suspect this group has a pretty big chip on its collective shoulder too after that disappointingly quick exit in 2023. The Dominican Republic won the 2013 WBC and, regardless of what happened in 2023, is on the short list of top contenders in 2026.

3. Insurance issues really hurt Puerto Rico

No team lost more important players to insurance trouble than Puerto Rico. They'll be without stalwarts José Berríos, Victor Caratini, Carlos Correa, and Francisco Lindor because they were denied insurance, and also Javier Báez because he tested positive for marijuana during the 2023 WBC. Báez is serving a two-year period of ineligibility (April 26, 2024, to April 26, 2026) from World Baseball Softball Confederation events. (MLB has permitted marijuana use since 2020, though it is still banned by the WBSC.)

With no Báez, Correa, and Lindor, Puerto Rico's infield will feature eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado and several players not yet proven at the MLB level: Edwin Arroyo (Reds), Darell Hernaiz (Athletics), and Luis Vázquez (Orioles). The rotation without Berríos will lean on Yankees' top pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez. Martín Maldonado, who announced his MLB retirement in October, and Christian Vázquez, and unsigned free agent, will handle catching duties in Caratini's absence.

Losing important players is bad enough. To make it worse, Puerto Rico will host Pool A in San Juan, so the team will be without so many of its biggest stars while playing games on home soil. To be sure, Puerto Rico has legitimate MLB players on its roster (Arenado, Seth Lugo, Heliot Ramos, etc.), but the team is not nearly as strong as it could be, largely because their key players were not cleared by the insurance company used by MLB and the MLBPA. What a shame.

4. Italy is a sleeper

A common theme this WBC is teams having their best ever roster. That is true for Italy, who will start their rotation with Aaron Nola and Michael Lorenzen. They're the two best starters Italy has ever had in the WBC (sorry, 2023 Matt Harvey). They'll build a more than respectable lineup around Jac Caglianone, Dominic Canzone, Jakob Marsee, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Kyle Teel. Brewers' 2025 first-round pick Andrew Fischer is on the roster as well. He'll provided even more lefty might.

Italy advanced to the second round in 2023 and the separator for the team this year could be a bullpen that includes several legit MLB-caliber arms: Gordon Graceffo, Matt Festa, Alek Jacob, Ron Marinaccio, Kyle Nicolas, Adam Ottavino, and Greg Weissert. Pitchers are on hard pitch limits in the WBC and they're especially restrictive in the early rounds. A good bullpen can make all the difference and Italy will have its best WBC bullpen ever. The paisans are firmly on sleeper watch going into the WBC.

5. Several free agents are playing

The WBC is a chance for players to represent their countries, first and foremost. For some players, it's a chance to show big league teams that hey, I can still do this, and you should sign me. Several unsigned free agents will play in the WBC, most notably former MVP Paul Goldschmidt. He is on USA's roster and will back up Bryce Harper at first base, and possibly pinch-hit against tough lefties in the late innings. Goldschmidt was part of USA's WBC-winning team in 2017.

Other unsigned free agents on WBC rosters include Jon Berti (Italy), Tommy Kahnle (Israel), Germán Márquez (Venezuela), Jose Quintana (Colombia), Tomoyuki Sugano (Japan), Ramón Urías (Mexico), and Christian Vázquez (Puerto Rico). Some will sign in the weeks leading up to the WBC and some could very well sign after the WBC. For these unsigned free agents, the WBC is a chance to prepare for the season and showcase themselves as much as it is a chance to represent their countries.

6. Remembering some guys

The WBC has a knack for bringing players out of retirement. The best example is Eric Gagne suiting up for Canada in 2017, nearly a decade following his last MLB appearance. This year's WBC will feature former White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez. Now 44, Ramirez is on Cuba's roster despite not playing in the big leagues since 2016, and not playing anywhere since 2018. Ramirez will be the oldest player ever to play in the WBC.

Other players returning to the field in the WBC after being out of baseball for some time include Erisbel Arruebarrena (Cuba), Phillippe Aumont (Canada), Lucius Fox (Great Britain), James Paxton (Canada), and Vance Worley (Great Britain). Aumont and Worley have not pitched professionally since playing in the last WBC.

The WBC is really great, really entertaining baseball featuring players passionately representing their countries. It's also a great time to remember some guys, and the 2026 WBC certainly delivers on that front.