Alden Gonzalez
Multiple Authors
The star power in this World Baseball Classic is undeniable.
Team USA debuted a lineup Tuesday afternoon that featured, in order, Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman and Cal Raleigh, part of a group that amassed 15 runs and 19 hits in an exhibition blowout that saw Paul Skenes and Mason Miller pitch. Later that night, Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Junior Caminero all homered in the fourth inning in a tuneup for the Dominican Republic.
The WBC is now in its sixth iteration, and with every one of them, the rosters are more decorated, the buy-in more prominent. And yet, growing pains remain. When the tournament was first established, there was apathy from players, especially in the United States. Three years ago, a struggle to convince starting pitchers to commit in the middle of spring training dominated the early conversation. This year, the difficulty of getting contracts insured — and the players who are unable to participate because of it — has loomed over the tournament.
What’s the issue, exactly — and what does it mean for the WBC? Let’s tackle those questions and others.
So, why are players missing because of insurance?
Major league contracts are fully guaranteed — meaning players get paid — regardless of when an injury occurs. But teams want to be protected from having to pay players who get hurt specifically during the WBC, given the added risks of a high-pressure baseball tournament that does not impact the MLB standings.
Since the onset of the WBC, one insurance company, mutually agreed upon between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association, has been willing to insure these contracts: NFP. Three years ago, the company essentially paid Edwin Diaz’s 2023 salary — $17.25 million — when the then-New York Mets closer tore his patellar tendon amid an on-field celebration. When Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve sat out the first seven weeks of that season because of a thumb injury sustained in the WBC, it covered that part of his contract.
Since then, NFP’s parameters have become more stringent, most notably with the introduction of a new provision: No contract will be insured once a player turns 37 years old. That kept Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas from joining his native Venezuela ahead of what will be his final MLB season as a player, a source of frustration for the 12-year veteran.
Outside of age, those who are classified as having “chronic” injuries by NFP have a hard time getting insured. If a player was on the injured list for an aggregate of at least 60 days in a previous season, was injured and unable to participate in two of his team’s last three games of that season, underwent offseason surgery, underwent more than one surgery throughout his career or was on the IL on the last day of August of the previous season, he is classified as “chronic.”
At that point, he must sign a HIPAA release form that gives NFP a deeper look into his medical history. It’s a long process, and if it doesn’t begin early enough, even players who are ultimately deemed insurable could run out of time. The bigger the player’s contract — and the more serious his injury history — the more unlikely it is that he will be covered.
Who are the most prominent players missing because of it? What WBC teams are most affected?
Puerto Rico, which is hosting one of the pool-play rounds, was most prominently affected, so much so that at one point officials threatened to withdraw from the tournament. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, who would have represented the left side of the team’s infield, were denied coverage. So were a handful of lesser-known players who would have made up the roster.
Altuve was denied insurance for Venezuela, as was Jose Alvarado, prompting an emotional Instagram post from the Philadelphia Phillies’ reliever. Elly De La Cruz won’t suit up for the Dominican Republic, though that had more to do with the Cincinnati Reds preferring he not play coming off a year hindered by quad issues.
Shohei Ohtani, meanwhile, was unlikely to be insured on the pitching side for Japan, sources said, though he would have probably only hit regardless. Another star denied insurance: Mike Trout, Team USA’s captain in 2023. Famously, that tournament ended with Ohtani striking out Trout in the final.
Was there any attempt to circumvent the denials and have them play?
A player who is denied coverage by NFP basically has two options. One is to convince his team to take on the financial risk (like the Arizona Diamondbacks did with 39-year-old first baseman Carlos Santana, who will play for the Dominican Republic despite not getting his $2 million salary insured). Another, more difficult option is to find another insurance company.
In the case of Correa and Lindor, Bad Bunny, the internationally renowned Puerto Rican artist, tried to get involved. Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, offered to cover the two superstars through a separate insurance company that ultimately was not approved by their agencies or their respective teams.
Lindor originally was denied coverage because he had undergone two cleanups of his right elbow in the past three offseasons, but Bad Bunny’s efforts were rendered moot once the Mets’ shortstop was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left hamate bone at the start of spring training, prompting surgery.
What, if anything, is MLB considering to keep this from happening in the future?
At this point, not much. (The league officially declined to comment on the topic.) And in reality, there isn’t a whole lot that can be done. Teams want the insurance. MLB officials seem satisfied with NFP’s services and believe the company explores a variety of different ways to underwrite these policies.
Perhaps other options can materialize over these next three years, but the harsh reality is this: contracts keep rising in value, and the risk of injury has not lessened.
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