St. Louis Cardinals to Have Small Number of World Baseball Classic Representatives

· Yahoo Sports

The 2026 World Baseball Classic officially kicks on March 5 and runs until the gold medal game on March 17. The 2023 event was an incredible success, with Team Japan defeating Team USA in one of the most memorable baseball games in recent memory.

The rosters for the current iteration of the Classic were officially released on Thursday night, and here's who will be leaving the St. Louis Cardinals during spring training to chase WBC gold.

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Just a spoiler: It's a very small number compared to the 19 that represented the Cardinals in 2023. That's what trading Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan will do.

Riley O'Brien (Korea)

Now 30 years old, O'Brien has spent parts of four years in the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners and Cardinals, but he really broke out for St. Louis in 2025.

One of the bright spots of the Cardinals roster, O'Brien made 42 big-league appearances, going 3-1 with a 2.06 ERA. He struck out 45 batters in 48.0 innings, registering six saves. He also made 19 appearances for Triple-A Memphis, going 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA.

He has a chance to be the team's closer this season, competing with JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek.

Thomas Saggese (Italy)

A versatile infielder, Saggese played 35 games at second base in 2025 and 33 games at shortstop. He also played 18 games at third base, and with trades of Arenado and Donovan, he should have regular opportunities at playing time. 

He hit .258 in 82 games last season, socking two home runs and driving in 25.

Ivan Herrera (Panama)

A 25-year-old, Herrera made his major league debut in 2022. Since then, he's hit .286 with a .370 on-base percentage, also popping 24 career home runs. Nineteen of those came in 2025, along with 66 RBIs. It was by far his most productive big-league season, as 2022 and 2023 represented brief cameos in the majors. 

He carried an OPS+ of 136 and will represent one of the best offensive options for the Cardinals by the time the offseason rebuild is over.

Luis Gastelum (Mexico)

A right-handed pitcher who signed out of Mexico, Gastelum is now 24. He went 3-5 with a 4.02 ERA in 2025 at Double-A, making 46 appearances out of the bullpen. He struck out 92 hitters in just 62.2 innings, showcasing the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that bullpens live for. With the Cardinals expected to have so much turnover in their 'pen this year, there should be chances for him to make an impact.

Matt Koperniak (Great Britain) 

Now 27 years old, he hit .246 with 14 homers and 65 RBIs a season ago. He spent the entire year at Triple-A, also posting a .317 on-base percentage.

Leonardo Bernal (Panama)

A Top 100 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Bernal will join Herrera on Team Panama. 

A switch-hitter at the plate, he's projected to make his major league debut in St. Louis in 2026.

He spent the whole year in 2025 at Double-A Springfield, hitting .247 with a .332 on-base percentage. He had 13 home runs, 70 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

He also won a Minor League Gold Glove.

Other things to note:

--Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt wanted to play for Team Korea, but was denied, which he discussed at the Cardinals Winter Warmer.

“Unfortunately, I am not Korean enough. You need a direct parent to be a citizen, and my grandma is the one who is a citizen... It was a dream of mine, and my grandma is getting old so I really wanted to play for them just because I think it would really mean a lot to her, but unfortunately won't be able to do it."

--Matt Holliday, in the Cardinals Team Hall of Fame, will serve as one of the hitting coaches for Team USA, who is one of the tournament favorites.

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