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The Winter Olympics may be wrapped up, but sports fans looking to rally behind Team USA have the World Baseball Classic on the horizon. There’s just one problem – they won’t have their best pitcher when it matters most.
Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers ace who’s won back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards, is technically on Team USA’s roster. He’s arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball right now.
But he’s only making one appearance.
Skubal confirmed Monday that he’ll start against Great Britain in pool play, then head back to Detroit to prep for the MLB season. He might stick around to watch a few games, maybe even lobby to attend the finals if Team USA makes it that far.
“I’m making one start. The reason I didn’t announce it [earlier] was I wanted to keep the momentum on the WBC, but I’m just making one start and then I’ll stick around for a few games. I haven’t determined what games I’m going to watch. If they go to the finals, I think I’m going to try and lobby to just go watch and be with the guys. But yeah, I’m just making one start and getting back on track and getting back to here.”
The Timing Doesn’t Make Sense
Here’s the thing – Team USA doesn’t need Skubal to beat Great Britain on March 7. They’d probably handle the Brits with just about any pitcher on their roster.
The Americans are grouped with Great Britain, Italy, and Mexico. They’re expected to cruise through without breaking a sweat.
Where they’ll actually need Skubal is in the knockout rounds against powerhouses like Japan, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
By then, he’ll be long gone. And because he’s taking up a roster spot, Team USA had to leave another starting pitcher at home.
Fans weren’t having it.
We are wasting a Tarik Skubal start to face Great Britain. He should’ve just given his spot to someone else at this point. https://t.co/Tk6bMnU6G5
— Randi (@randi9320) February 23, 2026
One fan pointed out the contrast with Japan’s approach: “Yoshinobu Yamamoto literally pitched on back-to-back days to clinch the World Series and is gonna start Japan’s opener in the WBC, and there’s ZERO shot he would even consider passing on starting a quarterfinal/semifinal/final for Samurai Japan. The WBC isn’t a side thing for him.”
Another compared it to youth baseball politics: “I love Tarik Skubal, but this reeks/smells like travel ball tournament BS. Fly an arm in from another state for a pool play game why dontcha.”
Understanding His Position
Skubal’s thinking isn’t hard to figure out. He hasn’t locked down a long-term contract yet, and the World Baseball Classic doesn’t exactly come with life-changing paychecks. An injury could cost him millions down the road.
But if that’s the calculation, why suit up at all?
When you look at the commitment USA hockey players showed on their way to Olympic gold – or how Japanese players approach the WBC – it really highlights how differently baseball treats international competition. The tournament just doesn’t carry the same weight for American players.
Team USA will probably still advance from their group. Whether they can go all the way without their best arm available when it counts is another question entirely.
