SF Giants ace Webb named to Team USA roster for World Baseball Classic

Giants ace Logan Webb will finally get his opportunity to pitch for Team USA this spring.

Webb, who passed on an opportunity to participate in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2023, was added to the Team USA roster on Thursday. Webb reposted a photoshopped image of himself wearing a Team USA uniform on his social media sites.

The two-time All-Star, who finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting last season, joins a rotation that includes the reigning Cy Young Award winners — the Pirates’ Paul Skenes and the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal.  Padres reliever Mason Miller on Thursday also was added to the star-studded U.S. roster that is still being built but already includes the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber.

Former Giants infielder Mark DeRosa is the manager, and former Yankees and Astros star Andy Pettitte is the pitching coach, for Team USA, which will begin pool play March 6 against Brazil. The championship game is March 17 at Miami’s loanDepot Park.

The WBC, a 20-nation tournament that debuted in 2006, is in its sixth incarnation. Buster Posey, the former Giants catcher turned president of baseball operations, helped Team USA’ win its first gold medal in the tournament in 2017. Japan is the reigning champion and has won the WBC three times, including the first two.

Webb’s participation in the 2026 edition had been up for discussion because the WBC runs during spring training and requires players to alter their typical pre-season routines.

 

Earlier this month at the Winter Meetings in Florida, Posey called his tournament experience  “one of my favorite events outside of Major League Baseball that I’ve ever played in my whole life.” But when asked about Webb potentially getting his chance to participate, Posey said the team would want to be involved in discussions regarding the 29-year-old right-hander’s usage.

“We’ve seen over the years that it can derail some pitchers,” Posey said. “There’s no way to replicate getting yourself ready for essentially a playoff game in early March. It’s just impossible.”

Webb has been durable during his Giants career, but also has led the majors in innings pitched each of the past three seasons. He’s averaged more than 200 innings per season the past four years.

First-year Giants manager Tony Vitello said during the Winter Meetings he’d like to see all his players in camp to help create relationships with his new players, but also is a supporter of the world-wide competition.

“I just think the event is phenomenal,” Vitello said. “So the guys that choose to or the guys in a quality enough position with their body or arm to try to compete in that, I’m all for it. I think the fallout is kind of worth the squeeze.”

Webb is the first Giants player to officially be added to a WBC roster, but Jung Hoo Lee (South Korea), Heliot Ramos (Puerto Rico), Kai-Wei Teng (Chinese Taipei), José Buttó (Venezuela) and Reiver Sanmartin (Columbia) are likely candidates. Webb could be joined on the U.S. squad by third baseman Matt Chapman, and Rafael Devers and Willy Adames are candidates to be added to the Dominican Republic’s loaded roster.

 

The Giants had five players participate in the 2023 WBC: Joc Pederson (Israel), Jonathan Bermudez (Puerto Rico), Camilo Doval (The Dominican Republic), Joey Marciano (Italy) and Teng.

Webb will see plenty of familiar faces when Team USA plays the first of two exhibition games to prepare for the WBC — the game will be March 3 at Scottsdale Stadium against the Giants.

Staff writer Justice delos Santos contributed to this report.