Jayson Stark Proposes Bold New World Baseball Classic Idea

Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal reacts to the proposal to revamp the tournament's schedule

Mar. 12, 2026 at 6:49pm

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After calls for changes to the World Baseball Classic, ESPN's Jayson Stark has suggested a bold new idea to restructure the tournament's timing. Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal, who recently left the WBC to prepare for the MLB season, expressed cautious optimism about Stark's proposal, which would keep the pool play in early March but move the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals to a midseason window around the MLB All-Star break.

Why it matters

The current World Baseball Classic schedule has been criticized by players like Skubal for being disruptive to their MLB team preparations. Stark's idea aims to address these concerns while still maintaining the excitement and global reach of the tournament.

The details

Stark's proposal would keep the pool play portion of the WBC in the first half of March as it is currently. However, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals would then be played in a concentrated four-day window around the MLB All-Star break in July. This would allow players to compete in the WBC without significantly interrupting their MLB team's spring training and early season schedule.

  • The World Baseball Classic quarterfinals start on Friday, March 15, 2026.
  • Tarik Skubal made his comments on Wednesday, March 12, 2026.

The players

Tarik Skubal

A pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who recently left the World Baseball Classic to return to spring training with his MLB team.

Jayson Stark

A veteran baseball journalist for ESPN who proposed the bold new idea to restructure the timing of the World Baseball Classic tournament.

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What they’re saying

“I think what needs to change is the timing of the tournament, because it's tough on all the starters — not just myself included. If you want the best players playing and not risking health. I think it's midseason.”

— Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers Pitcher

“Brilliant. That's the best idea I've heard all year.”

— An official of one WBC team

“I kind of like that idea. It's interesting, for sure. Pool play early. You win your pool (or finish in the) top two, then it's only eight teams, and you can essentially get those games done in four days. If you want to, give a team an off day (after the) quarterfinals, because then bullpen guys are going to throw back-to-back-to-back.”

— Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers Pitcher

What’s next

The World Baseball Classic quarterfinals are scheduled to begin on Friday, March 15, 2026.

The takeaway

Jayson Stark's proposal to restructure the World Baseball Classic schedule by keeping the initial pool play in early March but moving the knockout rounds to a midseason window around the MLB All-Star break appears to be a promising solution to address player concerns about the tournament's timing disrupting their MLB team preparations.