The Seattle Mariners will have 16 different players representing the organization in the World Baseball Classic which begins on March 5. Not every M's connection is a player on the 40-man roster, but there are several big names who will be leaving spring training to chase WBC gold.

Here they are:

Cal Raleigh/Gabe Speier (Team USA)

Julio Rodriguez (Dominican Republic)

Josh Naylor (Canada)

Randy Arozarena/Andres Munoz (Mexico)

Dominic Canzone/Miles Mastrobuoni (Italy)

Eduard Bazardo (Venezuela)

Michael Arroyo/Guillo Zuniga (Colombia)

Dane Dunning (Korea)

Charlie Beilenson (Italy)

Pedro Da Costa Lemos (Brazil)

Abdiel Mendoza (Panama)

Dylan Wilson (Netherlands)

Playing in the World Baseball Classic is a great honor, but it can come with a price for teams who see players leave amid evaluations and roster battles. And it can come at a price for players who don't get a chance to showcase everything they can do in front of coaches and team staff as they battle for specific roles. 

Here's how the WBC impacts the Mariners this spring:

For a Mariners rotation that dealt with injury attrition in 2025, the last thing that the M's need is to see the starters go out and compete in the WBC. Having Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo stay under the watchful eyes of Dan Wilson and Pete Woodworth is a good thing. They can now develop and ramp up at their own pace.

Munoz, Speier and Bazardo all leaving - for teams that are expected to play deep into the tournament? Ouch.

As stated on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose' podcast:

If you've listened to me, if you've listened to Buster Olney on Thursday's, you know there is huge risk in that. The relief arms in the World Baseball Classic, they have to scare you, because these guys ramp it up to max intensity before their bodies and their arms are ready to be ramped up to max intensity. That should make you nervous.

It does make me nervous. Gabe Speier pitching at an August 1st level on March 10th should worry you. Andres Munoz pitching at a September 5th intensity on March 15th should worry you.

For better or worse, the Mariners are counting on bounceback years from Luke Raley and Victor Robles. They'll get plenty of opportunities to showcase themselves in the absence of Rodriguez, Arozarena and Canzone. They both figure to be on the Opening Day roster anyways, but this will give them a chance to get some confidence and reps under their belts.

The M's aren't sending many infielders to the WBC, but Arroyo and Mastrobuoni leaving does create some additional chances for the young infielders to get consistent at-bats. The M's are going to give Emerson every chance to make the team, and he'll get the reps to prove he's ready. Young is expected to be the starter at second, and he'll get plenty of chances to show he's ready from day one.

Important to note: Because of all the OFs leaving, there will be additional DH reps available too, giving Emerson and Young more time on the field and at the plate.

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