According to a recent report from Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, two members of the Seattle Mariners, plus one surprise, will play for Team Canada at the upcoming World Baseball Classic, held in March of 2026.

Davidi states that reliever Matt Brash will play for Canada, as will first baseman Josh Naylor. Former M's pitcher James Paxton, who last pitched in the big leagues in 2024, will also come out of retirement, as we recently heard was a possibility.

How this impacts the Mariners

There are several impacts on the M's, frankly.

First, Brash and Naylor will be out of spring training camp for 2-3 weeks, which will leave a hole in the Seattle clubhouse. Naylor, especially, is a team leader, and the organization will miss his presence as they look to get over last season's loss in the American League Championship Series.

Secondly, there's the always-present risk of injury. While the World Baseball Classic is a great event, it's impact on major league teams can't be denied, especially after Edwin Diaz was lost for the season as a result of a knee injury suffered in 2023.

Third, there's the question of preparation for the season. Will Brash and Naylor get enough reps to make sure they are ready for the season ahead? On the flip side, will they get too many and get worn down too fast with a long season ahead? Both are possible, and both are worries.

Fourth, on a similar note, the M's just played deep into October. With both players getting an already-shorter offseason, are they really ready to ramp it back up so quickly? Is that healthy for them?

And lastly, on the a positive note, with so many M's players expected to be out of camp for the event, there are ample opportunities for under-the-radar roster candidates to make noise.

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The Brash worry: Bigger than Naylor?

Buster Olney of ESPN was on a recent episode of the Refuse to Lose podcast and said that relievers are his biggest worry in the WBC:

"And the glass half-full executives and staffers, you know, dealing with the WBC, that's what they focus on. Okay, well, you know, 'Brady Farkas, we wouldn't have looked at him otherwise, but we get to see him in a spring training game,' and that's what they like. But I gotta say, more than any other group, I think there's concern about the relievers going off to the WBC because they're put in high-leverage situations. They've got mid-season situations with their team. Their stature is on the line, or they're standing in the... in the WBC is on the line. And these guys go out there, they're playing for the country, and they're trying to do things that maybe they're not quite up to yet."

Other M's in the WBC

Cal Raleigh - Team USA (confirmed)

Julio Rodriguez - Dominican Republic (confirmed)

Randy Arozarena - Mexico (confirmed)

Brash - Canada (confirmed)

Naylor - Canada (confirmed)

Eduard Bazardo - Venezuela (expected)

Andres Munoz - Mexico (expected)

Michael Arroyo - Colombia (expected)

And possibly more to come

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