CLEVELAND, Ohio — World Baseball Classic teams are putting their rosters together and they’re looking at the Guardians as a source for players.

The Guardians have three Canadian-born players who interest Team Canada — catcher Bo Naylor, right-hander Cade Smith and left-hander Erik Sabrowski. The WBC begins in March.

“We’re interested in all three of them,” said Ernie Whitt, Canada’s manager. “We’d love to have all three of them, but we know there are some limitations.”

Naylor and Smith played for Canada in the 2023 WBC.

“I loved having Cade on the team the last time we had the WBC,” said Whitt. “At that point in time, I said this guy is a stud.”

Whitt said Naylor, Smith and Sabrowski have been invited to play for their home country.

“It’s totally up to the player,” said Whitt. “If they felt they had some injuries (last season) or had been used a lot last season, and they were because they went into the playoffs, they might not play.

“We’d love to have them, but you have to follow the process and it starts with the player wanting to play.”

Smith, including the postseason, made 79 appearances last season and 83 in 2024. He replaced closer Emmanuel Clase last season after Clase was placed on paid leave because of gambling allegations.

Former Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor, Bo’s older brother and now a member of the Mariners, did not play for Canada in 2023. He has apparently had a change of heart.

“Every indication we have gotten from Josh is he’s excited to play and wants to play,” said Whitt. “If he wants to play, we’ll find a spot for him.”

The Guardians said Monday that Travis Bazzana, the No.1 pick in the 2024 draft, is expected to play for Australia. Glenn Williams, CEO of Baseball Australia, confirmed that on Tuesday.

“We know the Guardians are very supportive of him playing,” said Williams. “We know that Travis wants to play and we’re hoping to see him play on our team.”

Bazzana spent the first half of the offseason at home in Australia. He is now working out at the Guardians spring training site in Goodyear, Arizona.

Team Venezuela could have a Cleveland touch on and off the field. Former Indians catcher Victor Martinez is going to be the assistant hitting coach to Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera. On the field, there’s a possibility that Guardians’ shortstop Gabriel Arias could make the team.

Second baseman Brayan Rocchio originally told Venezuelan officials that he wanted to try out for the team, but changed his mind.

“He wants to stay in spring training for Cleveland to compete for a spot,” said Venezuela manager Omar Lopez. “We completely understand. Brayan needs to stabilize at the big-league level.”

Regarding Arias, Lopez said, “He is on our preliminary roster. We just have to wait until we get approvals and who is eligible to play. Then we’ll go from there to see if he makes the team.”

When asked where Arias would play, Lopez said, “It doesn’t really matter. When you want to play for Venezuela’s WBC team, you have to be able to play everywhere.”

Arias, who spent most of his time last season at shortstop, has the versatility to play several positions.

Lopez added that Andrés Giménez, the former Guardians second baseman, is in line to play shortstop for Venezuela. The Guardians traded Andrés Giménez to Toronto in December of 2024.

Utility man Dayan Frias, who was in big-league camp with the Guardians last year, will play for Colombia. He played in the 2023 WBC.

The Guardians, like many MLB teams, are hesitant to have their best players leave spring training to play in the WBC. Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, says it’s easier to let a position player go than a pitcher.

“Players have generally been excited about the concept,” said Antonetti, “but each player’s circumstance is so different. The calculus that each player has to go through to see if it makes sense to them is really complicated.

“Where are they in their career? How healthy have they been? What will their role on the team be? How much will it affect their preparation for the season? Are they a pitcher or position player?

“For the most part, if I were to generalize, it’s easier to navigate for position players than it is for pitchers.”