As many as eight Cubs players might be on WBC rosters: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matthew Boyd (U.S.), Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga (Japan), Owen Caissie (Canada), Daniel Palencia (Venezuela), Miguel Amaya (Panama) and Javier Assad (Mexico).
The national teams for Palencia, Amaya and Assad still need approval from the Cubs for those players to participate in the WBC, which will be played March 5-17 at various sites. The Cubs intend to support any players who wish to represent their countries and are working through logistics.
“In general the WBC is a great experience for a lot of guys,” manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday at the winter meetings. “And for some, I would recommend against it. But for most, I think it’s a great experience.”