Here are three things we’ll be looking at around the baseball world this weekend:
1. World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals:
The quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic are underway, with two games scheduled for tonight. At 6:30 pm local time in Miami, Korea will face the Dominican Republic. Former major leaguer and All-Star Hyun Jin Ryu will be on the mound in Korea against the Phillies southpaw Christopher Sanchez. Ryu is less than two weeks away from his 39th birthday but has been consistently productive in the KBO over the years, including a 3.23 ERA in 26 starts for the Hanwha Eagles in 2025. He allowed a solo home run but no other damage in his final WBC start, striking out three in three innings of work. Sanchez, meanwhile, is coming off a breakout year in Philadelphia in which the 29-year-old finished second in NL Cy Young award voting. Paul Skenes. He posted a 2.50 ERA with a 2.55 FIP in 202 innings of work last year, but was held to three runs on six hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings in his lone WBC start.
At 7:00pm local time in Houston, Team USA will be facing their neighbors to the north. Canada sends the right hand Michael Soroka on the mound. He is coming off a 4.52 ERA in 89 innings for the Nationals and Cubs last year. Soroka scattered four runs and a walk over his three innings of one-run ball in his final WBC start. Soroka’s opponent will be on the right Logan Webb. The two-time All-Star finished fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting last year and pitched six innings in four career innings in his final WBC start, allowing just one homer on the damage. The quarterfinals will continue tomorrow with a tie between Puerto Rico (Seth Lugo) and Italy (Pitcher TBA) and Venezuela (Guard Suarez) against Samurai Japan (Yoshinobu Yamamoto).
2. Berrios fights elbow inflammation:
Right-handed Blue Jays Jose Berrios I had hopes for the Puerto Rican team for that match against Italy, but those hopes have been dashed. MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson writes that Berrios underwent an MRI recently that revealed swelling in his right elbow. Although there was no damage to the structure, he was scratched from his start yesterday and the Blue Jays are gathering more information. It’s an unusual situation considering that Berrios appears to be pain-free in his elbow. The MRI was scheduled not because of the problems in the right hand end, but for insurance purposes before his scheduled WBC appearance. It’s unclear whether the news puts Opening Day in jeopardy for Berrios, who was already in danger of losing a spot in the Jays’ rotation at some point this year due to a glut of talent (Dylan Cease, Cody Ponceand the emergence of high hopes Trey Yesavage).
3. A free center that moves stragglers:
Yesterday saw left-handers come off the board with major league deals: the Red Sox went south. Danny Coulombe for $1MM guaranteed yesterday, while the Rangers sit in left field Jalen Beeks for his major league contract. The remaining two off the board were among the best bullpen options still available in a shrinking market. With Opening Day just two weeks away, few players are still available. The one who plays outside Jesse Winkera football player Wilmer Floresthe right hand Lucas Giolitoand first baseman Rowdy Tellez are among the most notable brands still available on the market, with a large group of veteran starters (Marcus Stroman, Patrick Corbin, Tyler Anderson) and resources (Justin Wilson, Jose Leclerc, Jorge Lopez) is also still available.
