MLB commissioner wants more star pitchers in next World Baseball Classic

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred would like to see more star pitchers participate in the next World Baseball Classic in 2026. 

"It's great the guys that we have," Manfred told reporters on Tuesday, per Dan Mennella of Audacy Sports. "But I'd like to see pitching staffs that are of the same quality as our position players."

Manfred offered his comments after St. Louis Cardinals and Team USA third baseman Nolan Arenado somewhat defiantly said that "there's no reason why the stars of our game should not be playing in" the international tournament. 

New York Mets aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, along with Nestor Cortes Jr. and Luis Severino of the New York Yankees, were just a handful of the many big-name pitchers who skipped this year's WBC for one reason or another. Scherzer generated headlines earlier this month when he campaigned for the WBC to occur during the summer.

"For me personally, I'm not ready to step into a quasi-playoff game right now, physically. If I do that, I'm rolling the dice with my arm," Scherzer said about possibly playing in a springtime WBC, according to Lou DiPietro of Audacy. "It’s hard enough to try to make 33 starts and throw 200 innings as it is with a normal ramp-up in spring. If I go out there and try to do too much early in spring, it can really affect me throughout the season." 

As shared by Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, Manfred admitted that the league and MLB Players Association "have talked about something in the middle of the season" regarding future WBCs. However, Manfred added that spring training "is probably the right place for" such tournaments. 

Manfred suggested that MLB and WBC officials could try to convince teams and pitchers that throwing meaningful innings during March international games could benefit all involved. 

"It's not lobbying," Manfred remarked. "It's having facts to support it — that pitching in high-leverage situations like these are, that actually helps players develop."

There's little Manfred could say or do to convince managers and club owners to soon forget seeing Mets star reliever Edwin Diaz go down with a torn patellar tendon celebrating a WBC win with Puerto Rico teammates last week. That injury likely will sideline the closer for the entire 2023 MLB season, and it ultimately may impact who does and doesn't participate in the 2026 WBC.