Matt Brash's WBC decision has Mariners fans desperately scrambling for answers

The 20 rosters were unveiled on Thursday for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and Seattle Mariners fans were naturally interested in getting official confirmation of which players from their team would be participating, However, what arguably stood out most was a member of the M's who won't be taking part in the upcoming tournament between Mar. 5-17.

Giving credit where it's due, Lyle Goldstein of the Marine Layer Podcast took to social media to discuss the fact that Matt Brash is not a part of the official Team Canada roster. This led to Goldstein and others wondering why he will not be taking part, especially given that he pitched in the last WBC back in 2023.

With no explanation as yet it's easy to speculate, which we acknowledge can be a dangerous game to play. On this specific occasion though, it's still worth looking back to Brash's appearance in the 2023 WBC and the subsequent sequence of events for clues as to why he won't be taking part this time.

2023 seemingly took its toll on Matt Brash

The 27-year-old actually made just one appearance during the 2023 WBC for Team Canada and it was only 1.0 inning, although it was a spectacular one as he recorded three straight strikeouts without giving up a hit or walk. However, it's what followed that year which is of more significance with a player whose slider might just be the best pitch on the M's staff.

Brash went on to have an extremely productive 2023 campaign for the Mariners as he set several single-season bests, including a 1.2 bWAR, nine wins, a 2.26 FIP and 34.7 strikeout rate. What really stood out though was that he pitched a career-high 70.2 combined innings and led all Major League relievers with 78 appearances out of the bullpen.

Unfortunately for the Kingston, Ontario native, he was then forced to eventually undergo Tommy John surgery, which resulted in him missing all of the 2024 season. He finally returned in early May last year and was better than ever, not allowing a single earned run in his first 19 appearances and going on to set new personal bests with a 2.47 ERA, 9.0 walk percentage and 1.246 WHIP.

Should Mariners fans be concerned or not?

Still, the reality remains that Brash did carry a heavy workload again in 2025 following his return, which included eight appearances during the playoffs, in large part due to a combination of injuries and the lack of quality bullpen options. So what does this mean for him not being on the 2026 Team Canada roster, especially given how fiercely proud he is of his country?

It could quite simply be a case of the righty putting the Mariners first by protecting himself, which would make sense given his aforementioned injury and heavy workloads in both 2023 and 2025. On the flip side, the worst-case scenario could be that he's already hurt, which of course would be a potential blow to him and the M's pending the severity.

Whatever the case, as Goldstein points out, we will find out soon enough when Brash speaks to the media during spring training in Peoria. In the meantime Mariners fans will be left to fret and wonder the worst which, if nothing else, is as least something they've become well versed in over the years (decades).