Chicago Cubs Pitcher Inadvertently Exposes Biggest Problem with World Baseball Classic

Veteran righty Jameson Taillon is scheduled to make his last start in spring training on Monday before he heads out to join Team Canada for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Taillon previously participated in the WBC for Canada back in 2013, when he was a rising prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Now, entering his 10th MLB season, Taillon is heading back to represent Canada, but the Chicago Cubs pitcher inadvertently exposed the biggest problem with the World Baseball Classic.

On Feb. 20, Taillon made his spring training debut against the White Sox and the Cactus League opener wasn’t a pretty sight for the Cubs pitcher. Not these results ultimately matter, but nonetheless Taillon’s afternoon ended with him giving up four runs on four hits, including a pair of home runs. He’s not know to overpower hitters as Taillon sat between 92-93 mph with his fastball the past couple of years, but he was asked about his velocity following his first spring training appearance and that eventually led to a line of questioning regarding his preparation in spring training.

Taillon, now 34-years-old, was asked at one point if there was any value in trying to throw as hard as he could early in spring training. The Cubs pitcher responded by saying there was a time and place for it, mentioning different training methods to help increase velocity and then came a follow up from a reporter: Is the time and place expiated because of the WBC?

His reply was great for the Cubs and Cubs fans, who want to see a healthy Taillon in the regular season. After a brutal first three months in 2023, Taillon has been a steady performer in the rotation, posting a 3.43 ERA in his last 67 games. That includes 66 starts since July 7, 2023, and an incredible end to his 2025 season that also included two big starts in the playoffs.

Yet, Taillon made it pretty clear that while pitching for Canada is great, the World Baseball Classic simply is not his top priority. And he’s not alone. Especially for pitchers, this time of the year is all about getting prepared for the regular season, making sure you’re healthy and doing everything possible to be available in October.

Pitching well in the World Baseball Classic? Sure, but does it actually matter to these guys? Well, for Taillon, not really.

“Obviously want to pitch well in the WBC, but I’m not gonna risk anything for it either. I want this to be about the Cubs and the build up to be professional and in the right manner. So, we’ve got some time, but I don’t feel like I need to be necessarily in mid-season form on March 8. It would be great to pitch well and feel really good, but it would feel even better to feel really good in April and October and all that.” -Jameson Taillon

Last week Detroit Tigers ace and back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal caused an uproar after he said he would only pitch once for the United States in the upcoming WBC. That created more discussion on whether Skubal should pitch more than once in the tournament.

Yet, his decision kind of goes back to the Taillon comments. Most pitchers just aren’t going to risk it for the WBC. They may be on different levels, but both pitchers will be free agents following the 2026 season. There’s no way there going to go all out in March and risk an injury.

I’m not sure if there really is a solution. The WBC has gotten more competitive in recent years, but will it ever be as important for these guys as it is to pitch for their MLB teams? I just don’t think so. And maybe this is more on pitchers because the injury risk is greater, but can you really blame them when there’s a lot of money going around in the league nowadays?

Can the World Baseball Classic truly be 100% competitive if the guys going to play aren’t all giving 100% in these games? And again, as Taillon pointed out, it is in the players’ and MLB teams’ best interest that they all really don’t go balls out in March.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic will begin pool play on March 4. There are four groups and five teams in each. The field of 20 will be cut down to eight, as the top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, then semifinals, culminating in the championship game.

2026 WBC Key Dates
Tournament begins March 5, ends March 17
Quarterfinals: March 13-14
Semifinals: March 15-16
Final: March 17

2026 WBC Teams
Pool A: Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, Colombia
Pool B: USA, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil
Pool C: Japan, Australia, Korea, Czechia, Chinese Taipei
Pool D: Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel, Nicaragua