Team USA was defeated by Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship. It was a difficult defeat, but the roster was not nearly as talented as the 2026 squad. Anything short of a WBC championship victory will be considered a failure for Team USA this time. In fact, manager Mark DeRosa believes this squad can be a dream team.
"I think absolutely," DeRosa responded when asked if the 2026 Team USA roster is the closest thing to baseball's version of a dream team, via MLB Network.
DeRosa did a tremendous job of recruiting the roster. He started with Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes. Stars such as Bobby Witt Jr. and Tarik Skubal followed. Team USA features a talented roster to say the least, and it certainly looks like a dream team.
"It's a testament to the guys," DeRosa continued. "It all started with (Aaron Judge) last March, early April, getting on the phone with him. He wanted to be a part of it, he wanted to be the captain of the team. Next call was to Paul Skenes, I had this whole pitch planned. He stopped me right in my tracks and was like, 'Listen, I want to do this for every service man and woman that protects our freedom on a daily basis.' I'm like, 'Here we go.'
"So I felt like If I had the pillar from a position standpoint in Judge and the pillar of the pitching staff in Paul Skenes, it's like, who is saying no? The greats want to be around the greats."
Team USA Needs to Win to Become a True Dream Team
There's no denying the talent on the roster. Still, in order to become baseball's dream team, the ball club must win the WBC championship.
On paper, it is probably the best roster in baseball history. It has the best of the best ready to lead the way. With that comes added pressure. There are a number of talented ball clubs in the tournament.
Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan are looking to repeat as champions. Team Dominican Republic is another ball club that is more than capable of pulling off an upset. In baseball, the most talented team does not always win. With that being said, Team USA's roster construction certainly provides them with a tremendous opportunity to win the World Baseball Classic championship in 2026.
It will be an exciting WBC.