What it's like for an MLB team when its stars are at the WBC - ESPN

PEORIA, Ariz. — The boxes are beginning to stack up in front of empty lockers at the Peoria Sports Complex.

There is a pile of fan mail waiting for Julio Rodriguez to answer, while an order of unopened gear sits at Andres Munoz's space. Those items won't be dealt with until the Seattle Mariners' stars return from the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

And it isn't just their All-Star center fielder and closer (along with superstar catcher Cal Raleigh) missing at spring training. Seattle's organization sent 18 total players to the tournament — the most from any team in Major League Baseball — including a quarter of its entire 40-man roster.

«It's been overwhelming to the point where we've wondered if the federations are aware that there are 29 other teams to purge in the league,» M's president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto joked over the weekend. «We have a very diverse roster, and it shows in the tournament.»

With their players representing nations hoping to be competing until the final days of Cactus League play, the vibe has changed at Mariners camp since the full team reported last month.

«It's a little different, for sure,» veteran catcher Mitch Garver stated. «There's definitely pieces missing in this locker room. But this clubhouse was so tight last year that we'll be able to find that groove right away when they come back.»

With so many Mariners competing, it's hard to turn on a WBC game and not see one. It has provided entertainment for their teammates back at camp — and just a little trepidation for the manager and the front office.

«Saw [Byron] Buxton get hit in the elbow,» manager Dan Wilson said last weekend. «That's every organization's nightmare, to see something like that. There's always that. But you