Concerns about insurance for baseball players could potentially lead to a country pulling out of the World Baseball Classic.
On Saturday, Team Puerto Rico officials said they might withdraw the team from the tournament after learning eight of their 10 players would not be covered. according to The Athletic.
“That option is on the table,” Team Puerto Rico operations manager Joey Sola told The Athletic. “It will of course depend on whether we can find the replacement players.”
Mets captain Francisco Lindor was among the marquee players forced to withdraw from the tournament Friday after being denied coverage after undergoing two surgeries on his right elbow over the past three seasons.
Fortunately for Mets fans, Lindor is expected to be ready for spring training.
The insurance issues stem from the numerous injuries players suffered during the 2023 WBC tournament. Mets fans recall that closer Edwin Díaz, now with the Dodgers, suffered a distressing right knee injury during that tournament that cost him the season.
Jose Altuve also broke his thumb during that year’s event, an injury that lasted for months.
According to The Athletic, injuries from the last tournament made insurance for top flight players significantly more expensive, forcing the league’s insurer to become stricter on the players it approves.
Astros third baseman Carlos Correa, Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos and Twins catcher Victor Caratini are among the other Puerto Rican players who were not cleared to play — although the cases of Correa, Berríos and several others are under review, Sola told the website.
Team officials fear that if some of those ratings aren’t reversed, they won’t be able to get enough replacements to field a quality team.
If Puerto Rico is unable to field a team, it would be especially damaging as the country will host the first round of the WBC in San Juan from March 6 to 11.
Puerto Rico is in a group that also includes Canada, Colombia, Cuba and Panama.
MLB declined comment because the status of many players in several countries has yet to be decided. National Financial Partners, an official partner of the league that brokers insurance policies, did not immediately respond to request for comment, according to The Athletic.
MLB and the Players Association, co-owners of the tournament, are lobbying the insurer to change some decisions before the rosters are announced Tuesday.
They are scheduled to be announced on Thursday.
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