When the 20 teams announced their official rosters for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Seattle Mariners fans immediately searched for familiar names. But what caught many’s attention wasn’t who was on the roster—but who wasn’t.
Matt Brash wasn’t on Team Canada’s roster.
No announcement. No explanation. Just a large enough gap to make people start piecing together the past. Especially since Brash had played for Canada at the 2023 WBC, and had clearly shown his national pride.
In that tournament, Brash only shot a 1.0 inning. But it was a perfect inning: three consecutive strikeouts, no hits, no walk. A debut that made people believe he would be a mainstay of Canada’s bullpen for years to come.
The question is: what happened afterward?
In the 2023 season, Brash entered the prime of his career. He became a machine in the Mariners’ bullpen: 78 appearances, the most in MLB among relievers, 70.2 innings, a 34.7% strikeout rate, 2.26 FIPs, and a 1.2 bWAR. His slider—perhaps the most annoying pitch on staff—was used relentlessly and without mercy.
Then the price came. Tommy John surgery.
Brash missed the entire 2024 season.
Upon his return in early May 2025, the Mariners were cautious—at least in theory. But reality quickly pushed him back to center. Brash didn’t have a single earned run in his first 19 appearances, finishing the season with a 2.47 ERA, a career-lowest walk rate (9.0%), and a WHIP of 1.246. And when the playoffs came, he threw eight more games, simply because the bullpen was understaffed.
In other words: Brash carried more than expected.
And now, with the 2026 WBC approaching, he’s not on the list.
There are two ways to look at this silence.
The optimistic view is that Brash—or the Mariners—are proactively protecting his body. After two seasons (2023 and 2025) with a heavy workload, plus a history of surgery, avoiding a strenuous tournament right before the MLB season makes perfect sense. If so, this is good news for Seattle: prioritizing the 162-game season, not gambling on early risks.
But Mariners fans understand this feeling better than anyone. The worst-case scenario is always lurking.
A minor fitness issue? An unannounced setback? A seemingly harmless “precaution” that once triggered long periods in the past?
Without official information, all speculation remains at that point. But what makes the story noteworthy is that Brash has always been very proud to represent Canada. His absence, if entirely voluntary, would also be a significant psychological blow.
The answer will soon become clear. Brash will meet with the media when Spring Training opens at Peoria. At that point, either the worries will dissipate, or the Mariners will have to adjust their expectations starting in February.
Until that happens, Seattle fans can only do what is most familiar: wait anxiously. A state that, sadly, has become instinctive over the decades.
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