Why Dodgers face ‘delicate’ situation with

ORLANDO, Fla. — The 2026 World Baseball Classic begins in less than three months.

Between now and then, the Dodgers can have to have some “delicate” conversations with their star trio of Japanese pitchers.

As of now, Dodgers front-office officers said at this week’s winter conferences, no last selections have been made about whether or not Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki will take part in the event, nor if Shohei Ohtani (who has already confirmed his participation) will pitch in addition to hitting.

“We’re still working through that,” said president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who met with Team Japan supervisor Hirokazu Ibata at the Signia by Hilton Orlando this week.

“We’re very supportive of Samurai Japan and all that they’re trying to accomplish, and they’re very supportive of us,” Friedman added. “It was about just keeping open the lines of communication, the mutual respect and working together to help all sides.”

What can be most helpful to the Dodgers, of course, is if none of their three Japanese stars pitch in next spring’s worldwide event.

Each of them shouldered a heavy burden during last season’s postseason, from Sasaki’s 9 appearances out of the bullpen to Ohtani’s 4 begins in a two-way position to Yamamoto’s playoff-leading 37⅓ innings (the ultimate 8⅔ of which got here on back-to-back days in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series) most of all.

Each of them may also benefit from additional relaxation going into the 2026 marketing campaign. Sasaki can be returning to the beginning rotation after lacking most of last yr’s common season because of a shoulder injury. Ohtani can be embarking on his first full season of two-way duties since 2023. Yamamoto is coming off what was already an unprecedented workload even before last season’s playoffs, having set a new profession high (either in MLB or Japan) with 30 begins in the common season.

Already, it seems a number of other Dodgers gamers will, or are doubtless, to skip the event. While Team Canada common supervisor Greg Hamilton said Freddie Freeman would love to take part, the first baseman is dealing with some lingering health points after enjoying through an ankle injury for a lot of last season. Teoscar Hernández said in an interview that he won’t play for the Dominican Republic in order to focus on next season. Tommy Edman, who beforehand represented Team Korea, is also not anticipated to play as he recovers from an offseason ankle surgical procedure.

To this level, the only Dodgers participant other than Ohtani to verify his WBC participation is catcher Will Smith for Team USA.

More may observe, from Mookie Betts (who has yet to announce any WBC choice) to Hyeseong Kim (who told Korean media he has requested permission from the Dodgers to take part) to Alex Vesia (who is under consideration for a Team USA spot, according to American common supervisor Michael Hill).

In Japan, however, the WBC is held to a greater customary of significance than most other international locations around the world (and, to its followers, an even more vital degree than the World Series itself). The nation has gained the event a file thrice, including in the most current 2023 version. And having star gamers sit out, or even be restricted, in the event can threaten to turn out to be a culturally controversial development.

The Dodgers perceive this.

Manager Dave Roberts this week described the dynamic with the Japanese gamers as “very delicate,” and said neither he nor the group “want to be dismissive of what it means to them representing their country.”

“You can’t debate the emotion,” he added, “what a player might feel of this potential opportunity.”

That doesn’t imply, however, the Dodgers aren’t involved about the price the event can incur, particularly for beginning pitchers given its place on the calendar.

Next yr’s event will happen March 5-17, requiring pitchers to be constructed up for live-game motion practically a month earlier than they might in any other case. Team Japan will also have to journey from Tokyo (where they’ll play their group stage video games) to Miami (where the knockout spherical can be held) during that two-week window, assuming they advance through the preliminary spherical as anticipated.

Because of that, Roberts acknowledged he hoped Ohtani (who will still be managed fastidiously as a pitcher next season, doubtlessly with a week or more of relaxation between outings) would only hit in the event — and appeared to trace that can be the doubtless consequence for the reigning MVP.

“The pitching side of things is challenging and gives us a little bit of pause,” common supervisor Brandon Gomes added. “But yeah, we’ll obviously continue to have those conversations and figure it out.”

The Dodgers will also face a choice with Sasaki, whom they will block from collaborating in the WBC since he missed the bulk of last season on the 60-day injured record, though they haven’t given an indication yet on whether or not they would do so.

“We just need to sit down and talk through it as an organization,” Gomes said usually of the workforce’s course of for WBC gamers. “Once we get more info on the players, we’ll have those conversations.”

While the Dodgers can’t forestall Yamamoto from collaborating, Roberts indicated they might foyer for Team Japan to keep him (and Ohtani or Sasaki, if they wind up on the Japanese workers, as effectively) on a more restricted workload for the event.

“I would like to think that it’s going to be a dialogue as far as restrictions and limitations,” Roberts said. “In the sense of just trying to give them the opportunity, but also understand they’ve come off some stuff, some long seasons.”

There ought to be more readability in the approaching month, with Team Japan hoping to have its roster finalized by the new yr. Next week, Friedman said, golf equipment and national groups will also submit types to MLB relating to gamers’ potential participation, which permits for a period of suggestions between all events.

“I do think that the conversations need to be had [and] will be had, as far as what each individual is taking on and whatever role that they might be taking on,” Roberts said. “And what potential costs there might be.”

For now, however, when it comes to one of the more delicate conditions the Dodgers can have to navigate this offseason, “there’s no more clarity than we had before,” Roberts added.