The World Baseball Classic has become one of the biggest events in baseball. Players from around the world are gearing up to represent their countries in 2026, but a significant change could come after the next tournament.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, there is talk of the World Baseball Classic being moved to the All-Star break. Such a move would be a substantial change and could have major implications for baseball moving forward.
Major League Baseball has a long, unforgiving schedule. The All-Star break marks the unofficial halfway point of the season and is the only real stoppage players get until the season ends. However, moving the World Baseball Classic to that timeframe would deprive many players of that break, even if only every three years.
Additionally, holding the event at midseason could limit participation. There are already players who opt out of the All-Star Game, citing the importance of staying healthy to help their teams make a postseason run.
Injuries can happen whenever the tournament is played, but playing it in the middle of the season, with the postseason looming, could significantly affect player participation.
While there are downsides, there are also positives to weigh. The most significant is that moving the tournament to summer would end the dilemma of players missing parts of spring training to compete.
The All-Star break would need to be extended to accommodate the tournament. If Major League Baseball is willing to do that for the World Baseball Classic, it could open the door for players to compete in the Summer Olympics.
However, from a business perspective, extending the All-Star break while maintaining a 162-game schedule would push the postseason deeper into the NFL season and into the start of the NBA season. Would MLB want to compete with the NFL and NBA for ratings in late October and early November?
The World Baseball Classic has become an asset for Major League Baseball. The event draws millions of viewers, and putting it in the middle of the season would likely not change that. While there are pros and cons to the move, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa believes the event will eventually shift to the middle of the season.
“I think it’s eventually going to get moved to the middle of the season,” DeRosa told the Los Angeles Times. “I think it’s going to be a monster event moving forward.”
Regardless of when it is held, the World Baseball Classic will draw attention. However, shifting it to the All-Star break could be a major step toward letting players compete in the Olympics.
WBN WBC: https://worldbaseball.com/league/wbc/
Photo: Spectators watch a Pool A game between Cuba and Netherlands at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, Wednesday, March 8, 2023 (AP Photo/I-Hwa Cheng)
