Cuba undergoing seismic shift in how it puts together its WBC roster

Cuba was long viewed as one of the powerhouses of international baseball. Outside of the first iteration of the World Baseball Classic, in which it lost in the Finals to Japan, the Cuban team has yet to see that success translate into a meaningful run at the game's biggest tournament. There are indications that, for the first time, the roster for the national team might be made up primarily of players playing outside of Cuba. 

Such a change would represent a seismic shift in how Cuba has long approached assembling its rosters. 

Historically speaking, the stars of Cuba's Serie Nacional often take priority when it comes to putting together the Cuban National Team. There are a few key players who have left the island and are actively playing professionally in Japan and Mexico, who also get asked to participate. 

The 2023 roster showed the first relaxation of those practices. White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and infielder Yoan Moncada headlined the small group of players with MLB affiliations that also included Tigers infielder Andy Ibanez and two-time All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who had played his last MLB game three years prior. 

Current Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodriguez was also on the roster, though he hadn't yet announced his intention to leave his NPB team in Japan to pursue an opportunity in the major leagues. 

There is still a long way to go before the 2026 WBC roster is made official, but several Cuban-born players across the majors and minor leagues are publicly expressing their interest in playing in the tournament. Yusseff Diaz at Cuban Baseball Digest has been diligently tracking the names as the roster slowly comes together.