Why Rangers Stars Seager and DeGrom Should Play For Team USA in WBC

Baseball players playing for the World Baseball Classic aren't just playing in a tournament that happens every three years. To support the country you are from playing for the entire world to see is a defining achievement.

Are The Rangers Performing In WBC?

For the Texas Rangers, there's been little to no participation in the WBC from their players throughout the team's franchise history. As of right now, Texas has a scheduled exhibition game against Team Brazil during Spring Training. However, no players have officially announced their campaign to participate in the WBC on their respective teams.

Team USA for example, could be a suitor for Rangers All-Stars Jacob DeGrom and Corey Seager. The USA team right now, is stacked. A lineup consisting of position players in Bobby Witt Jr., Aaron Judge, Gunnar Henderson, and Cal Raleigh is solid. Bryce Harper was just recently added to the star-studded lineup. It has a chance to be even better if Seager was in the mix.

The overall lineup for Team USA is missing a couple slots, perfect for the two-time World Series champion and World Series MVP to fill. However, the Rangers slugger hasn't participated in a single WBC in his entire MLB baseball career.

Seager's Stats And Playoff Atmosphere Prove It

Corey Seager is a career .289 hitter with 221 homers and a .871 OPS. Given Seager's second World Series MVP stats (.318/.451/.682 in 17 games) and the WBC, similar to a playoff atmosphere, it's a no-brainer that the 31-year-old All-Star in the middle of his prime shouldn't commit to playing for his home country.

Jacob deGrom's WBC Absence

Rangers Jacob deGrom — Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It's surprising future Hall of Famer Jacob deGrom hasn't pitched in the WBC either. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is nearing the tail end of his illustrious career and still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Why not add a veteran piece that was once argued to be the best pitcher in baseball to an already stacked rotation of Joe Ryan, Clay Holmes, and Tarik Skubal leading the way?

The thing is, it's not that simple. deGrom's injury history could be a best-selling novel. The two-time Cy Young Award pitcher went through multiple Tommy John surgeries, the first one right after he was drafted by the New York Mets in 2010, and his second trip occurred more recently in 2023. DeGrom's also dealt with a stress fracture in 2016 and forearm soreness in 2021.

deGrom Focused On MLB Preparation

The more injuries pitchers have at the MLB level, the more reluctant they are to risk possible injury in a playoff-like atmosphere that is the World Baseball Classic. deGrom is 37 years old. He did receive his fifth All-Star campaign in 2025, pitching to a 2.97 ERA in 172 innings with 185 strikeouts. This strong season for the Ranger ace earned him the AL Comeback Player of The Year.

On one hand, seeing DeGrom don a Team USA uniform will display him in a playoff setting, something that MLB fans haven't seen him do since 2015. He did earn his first World Series Ring in 2023, but did not perform on the mound due to elbow surgery. On the other hand, it's more sensible at his age to gradually prepare himself for the next MLB season.

Seager's Injury History

Seager's injury record is also no question. Like DeGrom, the 31-year-old has dealt with a ton of injuries throughout his career, dating back to 2018 with UCL surgery. Since then, it's been hamstring issues, back injuries, forearm strains, a fractured right hand, and a recent appendix removal in August 2025.

Nevertheless, Seager performs at an All-MLB level when on the field, something that Team USA would love to have as a valuable addition to their starting lineup. Imagine The 5-time All-Star taking at-bats alongside Witt Jr., Judge, Henderson, and Raleigh. The only time Seager performed in the WBC was in 2010 when he was 16, playing for the 16U league in the WBC.

Newly Hired Rangers Manager On WBC

Newly hired Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumacher is currently the sole Ranger playing as the bench coach on Team USA's staff. As of now, there is no indication on his handling of possible Ranger players to join him on Team USA.

2026 Team USA manager, Mark DeRosa, or him speaking with Team USA Manager Mark DeRosa, a former MLB player who also played on the Rangers during his career. With multiple Rangers connections already present on Team USA’s staff, there is hope that shared history could influence some of the organization’s top players to participate in the World Baseball Classic.