The World Baseball Classic begins on Thursday, March 5 and one Seattle Mariners standout has a big honor for it: First baseman Josh Naylor was recently named as the captain for Team Canada.

A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Naylor will wear the "C" on his chest. He played in the 2017 WBC as a young prospect but did not play in the 2023 edition. Clearly, he'll be the leader of Team Canada this time around.

He's one of several Mariners players who will play in the WBC, including Cal Raleigh and Gabe Speier (USA), Julio Rodriguez (Dominican Republic), Randy Arozarena and Andres Munoz (Mexico), Eduard Bazardo (Venezuela) and Michael Arroyo (Colombia). Matt Brash was originally scheduled to join Naylor on Team Canada, but elected not to play after all.

Still just 28 years old, Naylor is a seven-year veteran of the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Arizona Diamondbacks and Mariners. A career .269 hitter, the Mariners acquired him at the trade deadline in 2025. He hit .299 for Seattle with nine homers, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 54 games. He helped lead the M's to the American League Championship Series and re-signed this offseason on a five-year deal worth $92.5 million.

It is the biggest contract given to a free agent position player in Jerry Dipoto's tenure with the Mariners, which goes back a decade.

Started in 2006 to help grow the game internationally, the WBC is heading into its sixth iteration. Team Japan has won three of the previous five titles, winning in 2003, 2006 and 2023.

The Dominican Republic won in 2013 and Team USA won in 2017. All three of those teams are favorites to do damage this time around as well. Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico are also seen as threats.

As for Naylor and the Canadians, they'll be in Pool A, which plays pool play games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They'll be joined by Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Panama. Canada opens play on Saturday, March 7 against Colombia at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT.

With just over three weeks to go until Opening Day, the Mariners will continue to get ready for the 2026 season. They'll be back in action on Tuesday in the Cactus League, taking on the Los Angeles Angels at 12:10 p.m. PT. 

The Mariners are 3-6 at spring training and Bryan Woo will take the mound for the second time. He struck out two in his last outing.

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!