ORLANDO, Fla. — Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong left an impression on Team USA manager Mark DeRosa this past spring, when DeRosa was on site as an MLB Network analyst watching him play for the Cubs.
“I went in with one expectation, and I walked away like, ‘Oh, my God, I love this kid,’ ” DeRosa said.
Going into the winter meetings this week, Crow-Armstrong and Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd were publicly committed to Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. On Tuesday, Team Canada general manager Greg Hamilton revealed that top Cubs prospect Owen Caissie is set to be on Canada’s WBC roster for a second time.
Representatives from Team Mexico and Team Venezuela, meanwhile, said that they’ve been in contact with Cubs pitchers Javier Assad and Daniel Palencia, respectively, and that there’s mutual interest, with the Cubs’ approval needed for them to participate.
Right fielder Seiya Suzuki and left-hander Shota Imanaga have yet to announce whether they’ll play for Team Japan. Suzuki committed to playing in the last WBC in 2023 before an oblique injury in spring training forced him to withdraw. Imanaga participated and posted a 3.00 ERA, a performance capped by his start in the championship game against Team USA, which Team Japan won. But he and the Cubs may see value in a more normal offseason and spring-training schedule in 2026 as he works to address mechanical issues that cropped up late last season.
Crow-Armstrong’s situation is a lot more certain. He was the first Cub of the bunch to be announced officially as a WBC commit.
“I think he’s the best defender in the game — I really do,” DeRosa said. “I think the metrics prove it out. And if and when we go to Miami [in the later rounds of the tournament], that center field’s got to be covered. And I didn’t want to put stress on [Aaron] Judge. I didn’t want him to think, ‘Hey, I might be playing center field tonight. I want to just leave him where I think he’s most impactful, in right field, and go out and get a true defender.”
In addition to Judge, Crow-Armstrong is set to play alongside Cal Raleigh, Kyle Schwarber, Will Smith, Paul Skenes, Corbin Carroll and Bobby Witt Jr.
“We’ve been really thoughtful with how we’re building the roster [using] a combination of established players [and] young, energetic rising stars in the game,” Team USA general manager Michael Hill said. “I don’t know if there’s a bigger rising-star personality than PCA. And it takes two seconds watching him running around center field to know this guy wants it. He loves this game.”
Schwarber and Diaz sign
After a slow first day at the winter meetings, the action picked up Tuesday afternoon when National League MVP finalist Kyle Schwarber re-signed with the Phillies for five years and $150 million and closer Edwin Diaz signed with the Dodgers for three years and $69 million, according to multiple reports.
Schwarber, a beloved former Cub, reportedly was pursued by two other NL Central teams — the Pirates and Reds.
More support for Shaw
A day after team president Jed Hoyer spoke about his confidence in young third baseman Matt Shaw, general manager Carter Hawkins was asked if the Cubs still would be against trading him.
“If a team calls a player ‘untouchable,’ it’s because his value is so high that it’s just unrealistic to think that anyone else would come over the top and give you something that’s even more than that value,” Hawkins said. “And I think that’s where Matt Shaw comes into play for us.”
Hawkins pointed to Shaw’s strong defense, evolution on offense and cost-effective club control for the next several years.
“No one’s untouchable,” Hawkins said. “But the odds of somebody coming in and giving us an offer that would make us want to move him is really, really low.”
