Aroldis Chapman could play for strange country in World Baseball Classic

Cuban native Aroldis Chapman is considering taking part in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, potentially for a very surprising country.

The Boston Red Sox reliever told Alejandro Rodriguez of SwingCompleto that he has been approached by Great Britain to play for the country in the WBC. Chapman said he would consider the offer, though he wants to see how his free agency progresses this winter before fully committing.

“I did not give them 100% certainty about whether I will play,” Chapman said, via Mike Rosenstein of NESN. “Remember that I will be a free agent next season and I don’t know what will happen. But I told them that I am available to be on the roster and that before giving a definite yes about playing, I need to wait for my next season in free agency to unfold.”

Chapman added that he was also informally approached by the United States about playing for them, but never received an official invitation.

How is Chapman eligible to play for Great Britain? His paternal grandparents migrated to Cuba from Jamaica, which is a former British colony and remains part of the Commonwealth.

Chapman defected from Cuba in 2009 and is banned from playing internationally for the island nation. He has said in the past that he would not play for Cuba again even if he were reinstated.

The Great Britain team typically consists of players from the Bahamas, as well as Americans of British descent. Chapman would certainly be a high-profile recruit for a squad that, in past WBC appearances, gained more attention for their celebrations than for their on-field play.