Ever since that iconic Ohtani-Trout showdown closed the 2023 chapter, Mark DeRosa has been singularly focused on one goal: 2026 glory.

“You see it from every other country, their best arms show up,” DeRosa said at the winter meetings in early December. “For whatever reason, the United States, our best arms don’t show up. That being said, we’re trying to change that narrative.”

While DeRosa appreciated the commitment of previous staffs, the 2023 rotation was more “reliable veteran” than “elite powerhouse.” With an average age over 30 and limited hardware to show for their careers, the quartet of Kelly, Lynn, Martinez, and Wainwright struggled to intimidate on the global stage. Statistically, the U.S. was surprisingly middling: 6th in ERA (4.20) and a lackluster 10th in average fastball velocity (91.5 mph).

Fast forward to 2026, and the narrative has flipped. Team USA is poised to obliterate those 2023 metrics with what many are calling the greatest rotation in the country’s history. The momentum began last April when Aaron Judge was named captain. Having a three-time MVP leading the charge for the first time signifies a major shift in intensity as the U.S. looks to repeat its 2017 glory.

But an arguably bigger announcement came weeks later, when Paul Skenes announced his commitment to the club.

“Skenes,” DeRosa said, “changes the game.”

Nearly a year before the 2026 WBC began, Team USA already had the AL MVP and the NL Cy Young in hand. That made for an effective recruiting tool as DeRosa and general manager Michael Hill built a roster that now looks more than capable of avenging USA’s 2023 defeat.

The starting rotation is such a behemoth that Matthew Boyd, a 2025 All-Star starting pitcher for the Cubs, will likely serve in a piggyback role.

“When you have someone of Paul Skenes’ stature saying ‘yes’ early on for the right reasons, someone like Aaron Judge doing the same, you go, ‘Man, I want to be part of it like those guys are,” Boyd told me. “I gotta say, I would’ve been doing it regardless, but when you get guys of their stature, it does bring people in. Those guys are the top of the game. You want to play with the best, too, and that’s something that’s really the cherry on top.”

Persuading offensive standouts to play has never been much of an issue for a U.S. club that included Mookie Betts, Kyle Schwarber, Mike Trout and Trea Turner in the last tournament. But getting star pitchers to commit while ramping up for a long MLB season — and assuming the potential injury risk that comes with that decision — has historically been a trickier endeavor.

The presence of Skenes, the top overall pick in 2023 who was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 2024 and the NL Cy Young in 2025, changed the dynamic.

“It’s just a matter of one guy doing it,” said Bobby Witt Jr., “and a domino effect.”

For Skenes, who played his first two college seasons at the Air Force Academy before transferring to LSU and was a member of the 12U and collegiate USA national teams, the choice was simple.

Growing up watching the WBC as a kid, he never thought he’d have the opportunity to play in one. He knew if he did, he wouldn’t pass it up. So when DeRosa called, it didn’t take any convincing.

“It’s Team USA,” Skenes said. “There’s no thought needed for it.”

In December, more pitching announcements came flooding in. Early that month, Boyd announced he would be joining Skenes on the USA staff. He wanted to pitch for the U.S. team in the last tournament but wasn’t healthy at the time and hoped he’d get another opportunity. When DeRosa called him, the stars aligned.

“If you don’t want competition, you’re in the wrong industry,” Boyd said. “I think all of us yearn for that competition, yearn for the big stage, yearn to compete against the best and want to go show why we are at that level. You train for those opportunities. So any time you present someone with that opportunity, at least for me personally, I’m magnetised toward those sorts of things.”

Mid-December was a whirlwind for Team USA. It started with a flurry of talent on December 17, when the roster added Twins ace Joe Ryan, shut-down reliever Clay Holmes, and the Mets’ two-way sensation Nolan McLean—arguably the most hyped pitching prospect in the game today.

But the real “internet-breaking” moment came just 24 hours later. With a single American flag emoji on X, Tarik Skubal signaled his commitment, sending fans into a frenzy. With this much elite arm talent, roles are shifting; even a seasoned pro like Matthew Boyd is preparing for a multi-inning bullpen role. When a starter of Boyd’s caliber is your “long relief” option, you know the rotation is officially stacked.

Suddenly, the Americans had the reigning NL and AL Cy Young Award winners forming the best 1-2 pitching punch in the tournament and leading the best pitching staff in Team USA history.

“You see Skenes and Skubal decide,” said USA reliever Gabe Speier, “everyone else wants to be part of it.”

The announcements of Tarik Skubal and Logan Webb officially joining the squad have sent shockwaves through the tournament. Just look at the trophy case: in Skubal, Skenes, and Webb, Team USA’s top three starters have racked up three Cy Young Awards and six All-Star selections in the last two seasons alone. This isn’t just a rotation; it’s a collection of the most dominant arms in the game today.

For Webb, this is a promise kept. While he had to prioritize his $90 million extension with San Francisco back in 2023, he told Mark DeRosa he’d be there eventually. DeRosa, never one to let a talent like that slip away, kept the line open for three years. Today, that persistence pays off as the Giants’ ace finally wears the red, white, and blue.

“The ending, Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout, it just excites you as a baseball fan,” Webb told me. “I was at the edge of my seat watching it, and I wanted to be a part of it. I think DeRo texted me 100 times these last three years, and I’d hear it from other people, ‘Hey, DeRo said you’re playing in this. Mookie Betts, I did his podcast, and he said, ‘You better play’ — and then he’s not playing, of course — but it was something I wanted to do.”

Shortly after the 2025 season ended, Webb was on country singer ERNEST’s tour bus with Team USA bullpen coach David Ross and talk-show host Pat McAfee in Nashville when he finalized his decision.

“I told Rossy, ‘Text DeRo, tell him I’ll do it,’” Webb recalled. “It was something I wanted to do, and it was a cool moment, and I was like, ‘I’m going to do it.’ I was already thinking about it, and it wasn’t that difficult a decision to be honest.”

At the time, the addition of Webb might’ve seemed superfluous given the talent already in place. But with Skubal announcing that he’ll only make one start ahead of a contract year and with Ryan dealing with a lower back issue that will force him out of pool play, it could now be the difference in winning a championship.

Weeks before the tournament began, a text thread had started among the players on the team.

“DeRosa’s like, ‘We’re winning this thing, we gotta redeem ourselves,’” Speier told me. “There’s a bit of redemption involved, so it makes it even more high stakes.”

As Logan Webb takes the mound today (March 6) for the tournament opener against Brazil, he does so with the peace of mind that comes with a $90 million safety net. But for much of the staff, the stakes are far more personal. While Webb secured his future back in 2023, teammates like Paul Skenes and McLean are still in their pre-arbitration years, and stars like Tarik Skubal and David Bednar are staring down their final seasons under contract.

In a sport where one wrong landing can cost a player tens of millions, these pitchers are choosing the red, white, and blue over the “business as usual” approach. For this group, the chance to reclaim the world title isn’t just a career milestone—it’s a risk they are more than willing to take.

“Obviously the risk is still there, especially for those of us that are entering free agency,” Boyd said. “But I know for me, first and foremost, the opportunity to represent your country is the highest honor in sport.”

USA Baseball, 2026 World Baseball Classic