The World Baseball Classic will return in 2026, and with it features some of baseball’s brightest stars from around the globe representing their home country.
Shohei Ohtani, then with the Angels, struck
out his former Angels teammate Mike Trout to win the WBC for Team Japan. It won’t be the final moment for him in the WBC, as Ohtani will look to defend his nation’s title for the 2026 classic, taking to his Instagram to announce his decision to return.
In a post that has now amassed over one million likes, Ohtani stated, “Thank you to all the fans for another great season. I’ll train hard and look forward to seeing you all next year.” In a separate statement typed in Japanese, Ohtani wrote, “Happy to play and represent Japan again.”
Ohtani stole the show on both sides of the field as he, alongside current Dodger teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, helped defeat Team USA to win their third WBC title, with Ohtani being named the WBC MVP. Ohtani slashed .435/.606/.739 with four doubles and a home run while walking 10 times at the plate and posted a 2-0 record with a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings on the mound.
Whether or not Ohtani will pitch for Team Japan remains uncertain, but Dave Roberts has his Japanese players’ support should they all decide to join Ohtani for another tournament, notes Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
“We’ll support them,” Roberts told the Japanese media. “But I do think that the pitching, it’s a lot on the body, the arm. The rest will be beneficial for next year, for our season. But we understand how important the WBC is for these individual players and for the country of Japan.”
The two main areas of concern that the Dodgers need to address this offseason is their corner outfield and bullpen situations. The Dodgers are firmly in the mix for prized free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker and have interest in a reunion with Cody Bellinger, and have their eyes on relievers such as Edwin Díaz and Devin Williams.
David Schoenfield of ESPN notes that rather than address those areas with a huge splash, they could look at upgrading their middle infield, with former Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette as someone that would be a surplus at second base. Schoenfield adds that Bichette won’t be asking for the type of deal that Tucker would demand, thus still leaving them room to spend big on the bullpen.
