World Baseball Classic: Team Canada Roster News, Notes, and Analysis

For the sixth time, the World Baseball Classic has come and among the 20 teams competing for the title is Team Canada, eager to establish themselves as a competitive force in the tournament. Canada has not achieved a high position in the standings in their WBC appearances, but in 2026 they have assembled a very strong team with plenty of current and former MLB players

Canada has been placed in a competitive first round group in this iteration of the WBC, sharing Pool A with Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, and Panama. They will play their preliminary round of games in Puerto Rico, against each of their opponents as they look to make their mark on the tournament this time around. They had some entertaining high-scoring games, but they undoubtedly want more success going forward.

It’s worth noting that in the 2023 WBC, Canada shared a pool with the United States and Mexico, both of whom finished very strongly; both were eliminated by Samurai Japan, the U.S. in the final, Mexico in the semi-final.

This isn’t to insinuate that their 2026 pool will be easier or weaker in any way, but they will have more of a chance to reach past the first round of the tournament without having to play as many games against incredibly strong teams.

World Baseball Classic: Team Canada Roster

On February 5, Team Canada’s complete 30-man roster was officially finalized and announced.

Canada’s roster features 10 players from Ontario, 6 players from British Columbia, 5 players from Québec, and 2 players from Alberta, displaying how this team represents the entire country from sea to shining sea.

You won’t see Freddie Freeman reprising his role on Canada’s WBC roster like he did in 2023, as he backed out of the tournament for personal reasons about a month ago. His presence would be very welcome on a team looking to establish itself in a big way this time around, but the roster Canada has built is still very strong.

They look to ride the momentum that brought the Toronto Blue Jays to the World Series last year, continuing the spotlight on Canadian baseball.

Position Players

Player	Position	League	Team
TYLER BLACK	INF	MLB	Milwaukee Brewers
OWEN CAISSIE	OF	MLB	Miami Marlins
DENZEL CLARKE	OF	MLB	The Athletics
MATT DAVIDSON	INF	KBO	NC Dinos
ADAM HALL	INF	MiLB	Free Agent
LIAM HICKS	C	MLB	Miami Marlins
EDOUARD JULIEN	INF	MLB	Colorado Rockies
OTTO LÓPEZ	INF	MLB	Miami Marlins
BO NAYLOR	C	MLB	Cleveland Guardians
JOSH NAYLOR	1B	MLB	Seattle Mariners
TYLER O’NEILL	OF	MLB	Baltimore Orioles
JACOB ROBSON	OF	American Association	Winnipeg Goldeneyes
ABRAHAM TORO	INF	MLB	Kansas City Royals
JARED YOUNG	1B/OF	MLB	New York Mets

Canada’s position player roster is headlined by prominent MLB stars like brothers Josh & Bo Naylor, Otto López, Tyler O’Neill, Edouard Julien, and young breakout players like Owen Caissie, Denzel Clarke, and Liam Hicks.

The only piece that seems to be missing from making this team even more of a force to be reckoned with is Freeman, but the team still looks good. The American-born Freeman drove in a run while playing in three games for Canada in the 2023 WBC, choosing to represent Canada to honour his late mother.

Canada’s infield depth is very solid, with Josh Naylor holding down first base in Freeman’s absence. Naylor signed a $92.5 million deal with the Seattle Mariners earlier this offseason after sporting his first 20/20 season while driving in 92 runs. He represents Canada for the third time at the WBC.

His brother Bo, shortstop Otto López, second baseman Edouard Julien, and third baseman Abraham Toro round out an infield of MLB talent that should perform quite solidly in this iteration of the WBC.

Matt Davidson hasn’t played in MLB since 2022, but has slugged 82 home runs over his last two seasons in the KBO and driving in 216 RBI over this span. Likely serving as Canada’s designated hitter for the tournament, he has both the experience and talent to make a big impact in this tournament.

Heading to the outfield, Canada boasts some strong prospects like Owen Caissie, who was just dealt to the Miami Marlins from the Chicago Cubs in the Edward Cabrera trade – Caissie was Just Baseball’s No. 3 prospect in the Cubs organization heading into the 2025 season.

Canada had the fourth-highest team OPS in the 2023 WBC, and they look to improve this time around with their MLB-calibre offense.

Pitching Staff

Player	Position	League	Team
JAMESON TAILLON	RHP	MLB	Chicago Cubs
CAL QUANTRILL	RHP	MLB	Texas Rangers
JAMES PAXTON	LHP	MLB (Retired)	N/A
LOGAN ALLEN	LHP	KBO	NC Dinos
MICHAEL SOROKA	RHP	MLB	Arizona Diamondbacks
MICAH ASHMAN	LHP	MiLB (AA)	Baltimore Orioles
PHILIPPE AUMONT	RHP	Retired	N/A
INDIGO DIAZ	RHP	MiLB (AA)	New York Yankees
JORDAN BALAZOVIC	RHP	MiLB (AAA)	Detroit Tigers
ERIC CERANTOLA	RHP	MiLB (AAA)	Kansas City Royals
ANTOINE JEAN	LHP	MiLB	Colorado Rockies
ADAM MACKO	LHP	MLB (AAA)	Toronto Blue Jays
CARTER LOEWEN	RHP	MiLB (AAA)	San Diego Padres
NOAH SKIRROW	RHP	MiLB	Free Agent
MATT WILKINSON	LHP	MiLB (A+)	Cleveland Guardians
ROB ZASTRYZNY	LHP	MLB	Milwaukee Brewers

Team Canada’s pitching staff contains plenty of MLB experience (3721.2 innings, to be exact) including four pitchers who current hold MLB roster spots: Jameson Taillon, Cal Quantrill, Michael Soroka, and Rob Zastryzny.

Some notable players left off Canada’s roster are Nick Pivetta of the Padres, Cade Smith and Erik Sabrowski of the Guardians, Jordan Romano of the Angels, Jonah Tong of the Mets, and Matt Brash of the Mariners.

Brash and Smith were part of Canada’s 2023 WBC team, and Pivetta represented the country in 2017. Many of these pitchers have previously represented Canada, with the most interesting newcomer being the now-retired MLB pitcher James Paxton.

Paxton pitched in parts of 11 seasons mostly with the Seattle Mariners, and he notably threw a no-hitter in Toronto against the Blue Jays in 2018. The southpaw looks to pick up where he left off and face big-league competition for the first time since 2024.

Canada has plenty of minor-league talent including names like Adam Macko, Carter Loewen, and Jordan Balazovic, as well as another retired MLB pitched in Philippe Aumont. While not necessarily being one of the most intimidating pitching staffs in this tournament, Team Canada can still be a strong competitor in their pool.

Coaching and Administrative Staff

Role	Coach/Executive
general MANAger, bench coach	Greg Hamilton
manager	ERNIE WHITT
hitting coach	JUSTIN MORNEAU
pitching coach	PAUL QUANTRILL
first base coach	RUSSELL MARTIN
third base coach	Stubby Clapp
bullpen coach	Denis Boucher

Canada’s coaching staff for the WBC is filled with former MLB players including 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau, former pitcher and father of current Team Canada pitcher Cal, Paul Quantrill, and former Blue Jays catchers in Ernie Whitt and Russell Martin.

Whitt is managing Canada to a record sixth WBC tournament, coaching the team in every single World Baseball Classic. Canada’s highest finish was in the 2006 WBC, where they finished ninth – a tournament in which Morneau, Quantrill, and Clapp all played for the team.

This staff is filled with Canadian baseball icons and hopefully their expertise from their playing days can bring a new layer of success to Team Canada in the 2026 WBC.

World Baseball Classic: Team Canada Schedule

Exhibition Games

Team Canada’s exhibition games against the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies will take place at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida and BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida.

Date	Opponent	Stadium	Start Time
March 3	vs. Toronto Blue Jays	TD Ballpark	1:07 pm ET / 11:07 am MT
March 4	@ Philadelphia Phillies	BayCare Ballpark	1:05 pm ET / 11:05 am MT

Pool Play

Canada plays in Pool A, which will play their games in Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Date	Opponent	Start Time
March 7	vs. Colombia	11:00 am ET / 12:00 pm AT
March 8	vs. Panama	7:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm AT
March 10	vs. Puerto Rico	7:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm AT
March 11	vs. Cuba	3:00 pm ET / 2:00 pm AT

Knockout Rounds

The 2026 WBC Knockout Rounds will be played in loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.

Round	Date	Start Time
Quarterfinal	March 13 or 14, 2026	TBA
Semifinal	March 15 or 16, 2026	TBA
Final	March 17, 2026	TBA