Three years ago, in early 2023, there were several Cubs storylines attached to the World Baseball Classic. Though an oblique strain sidelined Seiya Suzuki for the tournament, it was poignant to see his jersey hanging in the dugout for Samurai Japan throughout their run to the championship. Meanwhile, for Team México, Javier Assad showed up and shoved; it was a thrilling glimpse of the intensity his stuff could achieve in short bursts. Then-Cub Marcus Stroman made two strong starts for Team Puerto Rico.
Then-prospects BJ Murray (Great Britain), Matt Mervis (Israel), Jared Young and Owen Caissie (Canada) each played in the tournament, too, with Caissie giving confirmation of his prospect status by holding his own in a high-level international competition. Only Caissie remains a relevant Cubs concern with the 2026 tournament on the horizon, but in addition to him, Suzuki and Assad, there are several players now attached to the organization who could very well be involved come March.
Third baseman Matt Shaw played for Team USA in the Premier 12 tournament in Japan in November 2024, leading into his rookie campaign with the Cubs. He’s far from the top of the United States’s likely depth chart for this higher-profile tournament, but he could be a candidate to get a call from manager Mark DeRosa as the former Cub seeks to round out his infield. Three other young Cubs position players might be even more likely to hear from DeRosa, though.
After his breakout season, Pete Crow-Armstrong is arguably the most famous American center fielder. The injuries that disrupted Jackson Merrill‘s sophomore season with the Padres and the ones that have plagued the career of Twins star Byron Buxton make each of them unlikely to don the stars and stripes for a preseason tournament next spring, and the days of Aaron Judge roaming center field in any high-level competition are over. Crow-Armstrong would be a big get for DeRosa, with a chance to burnish his resume as the game’s premier defender in center and to get some more concretely valuable offensive reps in preparation for the season. This seems like a fairly likely assignment, on balance.
It’s less likely that Nico Hoerner draws the call to play second base for DeRosa’s squad, but it’s certainly not out of the question. Hoerner’s Fielding Bible Award-winning season at the keystone and his superb second half at the plate caught the attention of much of the league. That free agents Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman might be discouraged from playing in the WBC by their new teams could leave more room than would normally be there for the likes of Shaw or Hoerner to filter into the infield equation for Team USA.
Speaking of that same variable, longtime Team USA slugger Pete Alonso is also a free agent-to-be, which could make him less likely to participate. Former Captain America Paul Goldschmidt still wants to play in 2026, but at his advanced age, he’s not going to be a first-choice guy for DeRosa. Matt Olson, Nick Kurtz, Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman are all candidates to play first base for the U.S., but there’s some chance that Michael Busch is now on that radar, too. After hitting 34 regular-season homers and four more in the postseason, Busch is firmly in the mix for the title of best-hitting American first baseman right now. If age or injury leads to hesitation by the veterans who might otherwise be interested, DeRosa could tab Busch.
The Cubs also have a bevy of lesser stars who might be asked to play by their smaller home countries. Miguel Amaya and Daniel Palencia will be in consideration for the Team Venezuela roster. Shota Imanaga (presumably, still a Cub next year, although on what contract terms is still in question) could be in line to play a key role again for Samurai Japan. That’s not to mention any of the prospects with foreign attachments, like Venezuelan catcher Moisés Ballesteros and Dominican outfielder Kevin Alcántara.
Something like five or six Cubs could be involved in the WBC next year, before accounting for guys (like potential trade targets Pablo López or Joe Ryan, or potential signees via the NPB-to-MLB posting system Tatsuya Imai, Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto) who aren’t currently in the organization but might be by then. It should be fun, once again, to track their contributions to the buzz and wonder of the tournament.