Team USA is going all in on the 2026 World Baseball Classic, adding three aces to its pitching staff. Wednesday’s announcement of Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan and Thursday’s announcements confirmed that reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb will join Team USA for the upcoming WBC as well. Ryan, Skubal, and Webb join National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes in the rotation as Team USA looks to reclaim its international glory from 2017, finishing runners-up in the most recent iteration of the tournament.
Four of a Kind
The Team USA rotation for the upcoming WBC looks to be the best rotation in the tournament already. This is thanks in great part to the additions made to manager Mark DeRosa’s squad on Wednesday and Thursday.
Joe Ryan was the first to be officially announced on Wednesday, coming off of the best year of his career thus far and amidst trade rumors circling around him since last offseason. Ryan finished his age-29 season with career bests in ERA, innings, and WAR while also garnering his first All-Star nod in 2025. Ryan will be making his second appearance for Team USA. He previously competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Team USA finished second to Team Japan.
Thursday morning, the team announced Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal as an addition as well. Skubal, the reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young winner, joins the WBC squad after a season in which he surpassed his already impressive 2024 numbers. Over the last two seasons, Skubal collected 469 strikeouts with a WHIP of 0.906, an ERA of 2.30, and a 12.9 WAR. This will be Skubal’s first World Baseball Classic.
Just a few hours after the announcement of Skubal, Giants ace Logan Webb joined Team USA as well. A two-time All-Star, Logan Webb finished in the top-6 in NL Cy Young voting every year since 2023. Webb finished with at least 200 innings in each of those seasons. Webb also added a Gold Glove to his stellar resume in 2025. Despite being announced to the roster in 2023, Webb later withdrew from the tournament. If Webb does make an appearance in 2026’s World Baseball Classic, it would be his first for Team USA.
Manager Mark DeRosa and pitching coach Andy Pettitte have put together one of the most impressive pitching staffs in history. Four aces in Skenes, Skubal, Webb, and Ryan is a winning hand.
Looking Ahead
Team USA begins its quest to reclaim World Baseball Classic gold on Friday, March 6 at 8 PM ET against Team Brazil. The matchup will take place at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas.
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