Riley O'Brien is likely to play for Team Korea.
According to a new report on social media from the 'KBO in English' account, St. Louis Cardinals reliever Riley O'Brien is likely to play for Team Korea at the upcoming World Baseball Classic, assuming all the paperwork goes through.
From the account:
Following bringing in half korean Tommy Hyunsoo Edman during the 2023 WBC, Team Korea is ready to announce Riley Chunyoung O'Brien joining the squad for the 2026 WBC along with Jahmai Jones, assuming the necessary paperwork gets finalized this month
We had heard in December that O'Brien wanted to play for Korea.
About O'Brien
Now 30 years old, O'Brien has spent parts of four years in the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners and Cardinals, but he really broke out in 2025.
One of the bright spots of the Cardinals roster, O'Brien made 42 big-league appearances, going 3-1 with a 2.06 ERA. He struck out 45 batters in 48.0 innings, registering six saves. He also made 19 appearances for Triple-A Memphis, going 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA.
There's a chance that O'Brien serves as the Cardinals closer in 2026 as the organization continues its rebuild, especially if or when JoJo Romero is moved.
About the Cardinals and the WBC
In 2023, the Cardinals had 19 different players represent the organization in the WBC. Given the state of the team's rebuild, there will be far less participation this time around.
Willson Contreras, who is a candidate for Team Venezuela, has been traded. Nolan Arenado, who could play for Team USA or Puerto Rico, is also expected to be moved. Lars Nootbaar, who won a title with Team Japan in 2023, is recovering from dueling foot injuries.
Ivan Herrera has committed to playing for Team Panama, but he's the only other member of the 40-man roster who is on a WBC roster for St. Louis.
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About the WBC
The tournament will take place from March 5-17 and features a loaded field. Japan, Team USA and the Dominican Republic figure to enter the tournament as favorites, but several other nations could make noise, including Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
The WBC, which began in 2006, has issued five gold medals:
2006 - Japan
2009 - Japan
2013 - Dominican Republic
2017 - USA
2023 - Japan
The COVID-19 pandemic is the reason why there was such a big gap between the 2017 and 2023 events.
What's next for St. Louis this offseason?
Well, with the arbitration situation behind us, it's time to see who the next player to be moved is. It could be Romero, or Arenado, or perhaps Brendan Donovan, who is one of the best trade chips on the market.
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