Pirates Pitching Duo Not Featuring at World Baseball Classic
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a great number of players representing their countries at the upcoming World Baseball Classic, but two players will no longer do so.
Pitchers in right-hander José Urquidy of Team Mexico and left-hander Oddanier Mosqueda of Team Venezuela are not pitching at the 2026 WBC anymore.
Urquidy, who officially signed with the Pirates on Feb. 11, told SportsNet Pittsburgh that he wanted to stay with his new ballclub and focus on getting ready for the new season.
He competed with Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, making one start and pitching in two games.
Mosqueda experienced left forearm inflammation, soreness and discomfort in a recent batting session and is no-throw for two weeks, according to José Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
That timeline would conflict with his time with Team Venezuela, as the World Baseball Classic starts on March 5 and ends on March 17, which would effectively make him miss almost the entire competition.
What the Pirates Get in Both Pitchers
Urquidy signed with the Pirates on a one-year, $1.5 million deal, as he'll look to try and earn the last spot in the starting rotation.
He has dealt with injuries, including undergoing Tommy John surgery, which kept him out the entirety of the 2024 season and almost all of 2025.
Urquidy has a relationship with new Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy, who was his pitching coach with the Houston Astros for his final three seasons with the team, 2021-23.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record (Starts/Appearances) | 24-14 (58/65) |
ERA (Innings Pitched) | 4.09 (334.1) |
Strikeouts/Walks | 269/82 |
WHIP | 1.16 |
K/9 (K/BB) | 7.2 (3.28) |
His most productive season came in 2022, as he made 28 starts in 29 appearances for Houston, with a 13-8 record, a 3.94 ERA over 164.1 innings pitched, 134 strikeouts to 38 walks, a 1.17 WHIP and a .244 BAA.
Urquidy only pitched once in that postseason, but still earned a World Series ring. He has extensive playoff experience too, with a 4-2 record in eight starts and 15 appearances, a 4.08 ERA over 46.1 innings pitched, 44 strikeouts to 13 walks, a .242 BAA and a 1.23 WHIP.
He'll need to stay healthy, but the 30-year old does have a shot at the first Pirates starting rotation of 2026.
Mosqueda hails from Caracas, Venezuela and signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 2015 when he was 16 years old.
He spent eight years with the Red Sox from 2016-23, then one season each at Triple-A for the New York Yankees in 2024 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2025.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record (Appearances) | 16-10 (158) |
ERA (Innings Pitched) | 4.72 (194.1) |
Strikeouts/Walks | 230/107 |
WHIP | 1.34 |
K/9 (K/BB) | 10.7 (2.15) |
Mosqueda has about five pitches in his arsenal, with his four-seam fastball and sinker his most used, while also throwing three offspeed pitches in a curveball and a slider, plus a changeup.
He is a non-roster invitee to Major League Camp and could make the Pirates roster at some point if they need a left-handed relief pitcher and if he performs at Triple-A again.
Who the Pirates Have Representing Them at the WBC
The Pirates have 13 players competing in the World Baseball Classic and eight on the 40-man roster.
2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes will lead Team USA on the mound and could start the opening game.
This includes the Team Dominican Republic trio in center fielder Oneil Cruz, plus relief pitchers in right-hander Dennis Santana and left-hander Gregory Soto.
It also features infielders in Spencer Horwitz (Team Israel) and Nick Gonzales (Team Mexico), plus right-handed pitchers in Antwone Kelly (Team Netherlands) and Kyle Nicolas (Team Italy).
Nicolas is joined on Team Italy from minor league pitchers in right-handed starter Alessandro Ercolani and left-handed relief pitcherJoe La Sorsa.
The Pirates also have three other right-handed pitchers at the WBC in Pietro Albanez for Team Brazil, Emmanuel Chapman for Team Cuba and Po-Yu Chen for Team Chinese Taipei.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.