Paolo Espino’s return to the World Baseball Classic — 20 years after his first WBC — will mark the end of the road for the 39-year-old pitcher.
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Espino announced (via Antonio Puesan on X) that after Panama’s WBC run ends, he will retire as a professional pitcher.
El derecho panameño Paolo Espino anunció que luego de finalizar el Clásico Mundial de Béisbol con su selección de Panamá se retira como lanzador profesional. pic.twitter.com/OZ2c9VaDhS
— Antonio Puesán (@antoniopuesan) March 7, 2026
Espino is two years removed from his last appearance in a Major League Baseball game with the Toronto Blue Jays. He went 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA in three appearances for the Jays in 2024.
Three players who appeared in the FIRST World Baseball Classic in 2006 are playing AGAIN 20 years later 🤯
Alexei Ramirez played for Team Cuba in 2006 and returns to the squad in 2026, nearly 10 years after his last MLB appearance. At 44 years old, he is the oldest player in… pic.twitter.com/OotZ56wmbo
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) February 26, 2026
Espino is one of three players, along with Cuba’s Alexei Ramirez and the Netherlands’ Shairon Martis, who participated in the first WBC in 2006 still on the field.
Espino was released by the Blue Jays after the 2024 season, where he pitched primarily for Triple-A Buffalo. More recently, he pitched briefly in Mexico (five games for the Conspiradores de Queretaro) before even shorter stints in the Puerto Rico and Dominican Winter Leagues.
Espino was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians (10th round of the 2006 MLB Draft) coming off his performance in the WBC.
Espino would not reach the majors until 2017, however, when he made six appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers and six for the Texas Rangers.
Espino found a regular role with the Washington Nationals, going 5-14 with a 4.91 ERA in 82 games (39 starts) from 2020-23.
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