The World Baseball Classic is thriving. While not on the level of the Olympics just yet, interest seems to be at an all-time high for the baseball tournament, with Team USA’s win over the Dominican Republic in the semifinals drawing more viewers than the MLB All-Star Game.
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Turns out, that example might carry a lot of weight moving forward, as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred floated the idea of moving the World Baseball Classic to midseason in the future.
Manfred told the Associated Press that the league has discussed the idea of doing a midseason tournament in the past, and the World Baseball Classic would be the “ideal opportunity” to test out that idea.
“Obviously we have commitments to Fox in terms of the All-Star Game in the middle of the season through ’28,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday during an interview with The Associated Press. “As the game continues to evolve, we have talked about midseason tournaments in general. And certainly if we decided to get serious about this, about a midseason tournament, this would be an ideal opportunity.”
Manfred did not provide any additional details on the idea.
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But there is evidence it can work. The NHL pauses its season and allows players to take part in the Winter Olympics when the two overlap. It’s not a perfect comparison, as MLB pitchers need to stay on somewhat of a regular workload during the regular season. They can’t take multiple weeks off and then return to action ready to throw 90+ pitches.
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Because of that, more MLB pitchers might opt to take part in a midseason World Baseball Classic. Team USA manager Mark DeRosa certainly thought that was the case, telling the AP, “If [the World Baseball Classic] was moved to the middle of the season, I don’t think you would have any nos for competing in it.”
With the event taking place in March — when most MLB players are building up their stamina in spring training — there are strict limits on how often a pitcher can take the mound. There are also limits on how many pitches can be thrown by a single pitcher during a game.
Those would presumably be less of an issue in the middle of the season, when pitchers are already fully stretched out and have been taking on normal workloads for months.
That particular issue played a role in the 2026 final, as DeRosa did not use closer Mason Miller in a tie after the San Diego Padres said the team apparently only wanted Miller to pitch in the contest in a save situation. DeRosa turned to Boston Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock, who gave up the game-winning run in the ninth inning.
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As Manfred noted, Fox holds the broadcasting rights to the MLB All-Star Game through the 2028 MLB season, so any possibility of moving the World Baseball Classic might have to wait until those rights expire. That timeline should work out well, as MLB is looking at a three- or four-year gap before the next World Baseball Classic.
That would technically give the league enough time to come up with a schedule and format for a midseason World Baseball Classic the next time it occurs. Whether that happens depends on how much Manfred is willing to push the issue with the league’s collective-bargaining agreement ending following the 2026 MLB season.
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