Jason Burgos
Future Hall of Famer and current Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer has offered up a fantastic idea for the next World Baseball Classic that could make Team USA unbeatable in 2029 and beyond.
Based on the crowd sizes and interest on social media over the last couple of weeks, it sure seems like the 2026 edition of the WBC was a success. However, that doesn’t mean it still can’t be improved. A consistent problem the tournament has had since its inception is that not every elite player who can take part does.
The biggest reason why a lot of stars sit out of the WBC, especially pitchers, is its placement on the calendar. It comes right in the middle of spring training, and for pitchers, that is a problem. During a recent appearance on the Foul Territory Show, Scherzer noted that almost every player would love to be in the WBC. But there is a serious risk factor for pitchers.
“This is hard on your arm. You’re walking into playoff baseball, max intensity, without being properly built up, and so that’s a huge risk factor to try to take on,” the eight-time All-Star said. “… It really takes a narrow band to be able to ramp up early to take on that type of stress early.”
Would pushing WBC back two weeks fix its biggest problem?
Those are fair points, and clubs around the league showed they have similar concerns. It’s why they handed down many limitations on their pitchers to the managers of the WBC teams. In just the Finals alone, the closers for Team USA and Venezuela were only approved to be used if it was in a save situation to win the tournament.
There has been a lot of speculation on how to fix the problem so the various teams can have the best players possible, without limitations. Well, Scherzer had a pretty good idea for how to do that.
“That’s why I wish this tournament were just pushed back two weeks,” he said. “Like, if it started now, I’m built up to 75-80 pitches, you’re closer to being in midseason form. We’d protect the pitchers if you had the proper ramp-up time.
“… I’ve advocated for it. Take the first week out of the season. Drop from 162 to 155, or something to that effect, so that the pitchers can ramp up… It really just takes two more weeks, and you’d drop the risk factor for pitchers, and you’d get everybody to participate.”
Since Team USA has some of the best pitchers in baseball, those limitations would certainly benefit them. If players like Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal had fewer limitations, the US team could be unbeatable. However, the idea of MLB clubs giving up games for the WBC seems unlikely. Nevertheless, it is interesting that it wouldn’t take much to improve the tournament in a big way.
