Los Angeles Dodgers
Face of the Franchise
Freddie Freeman withdraws from World Baseball Classic
Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-...eman-world-baseball-classic-prospect-rankings
As the 2026 World Baseball Classic looms in the distance, several Dodgers players are ready to play for their country, with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto looking to defend their WBC title.
Roki Sasaki is a notable omission from Team Japan’s roster as he looks to have his first healthy season in the big leagues, while it was recently announced that Hyeseong Kim joined Team Korea’s camp with the hopes of participating. Will Smith will once again represent the United States, and it was looking like Freddie Freeman would suit up for Team Canada again.
Freeman has opted to withdraw the World Baseball Classic due to personal reasons, as first reported by Shi Davidi of SportsNet, marking the first time since 2013 that he will not represent Team Canada. Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor will presumably assume the role of starting first baseman with Freeman’s dismissal.
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The Dodgers enter the 2026 season with the best farm system in baseball, as noted by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, and the team could see some star prospects get their moment to crack the big league roster at some point this upcoming year. Of all the team’s prospects that have yet to make their major league debut, Brendan Samson of MLB.com lists outfielder Josue de Paula and Jackson Ferris as the two most likely prospects to make an impact for the 2026 team.
Gone are the days of perpetual heartache and disappointment in the postseason (for now) and in is a golden age of Dodger baseball marked by two straight titles and three in the last six seasons. Michael Duarte of NBC Los Angeles writes about the franchise’s turnaround while also highlighting just how many misfortunes they experienced between 2013-23.
Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-...eman-world-baseball-classic-prospect-rankings