It looks like the San Francisco Giants might be sending three players to the World Baseball Classic this March.
Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford have both confirmed their participation in previous weeks. Now ace Madison Bumgarner may be joining his teammates after the first round, according to a report by Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
Source: Team USA has spoken with Madison Bumgarner’s reps about possibly joining @WBCBaseball roster sometime after the first round. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 3, 2017
Bumgarner said back in April that he was open to the idea of joining team USA after turning down an invitation in 2013. The Giants left-hander has yet to confirm he will participate, and explained the difficulty of the decision to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s such a tough spot because of the timing of it,” Bumgarner said, “I’d love to do it. It’s a great opportunity. Not many people get to play major-league baseball. Even a smaller amount get to do that.”
Bumgarner will have to make his decision soon, with final rosters due later this month. The tournament goes from March 9-22 with the first round ending on the 12th. Giants Spring Training begins in late February.
Giants fans may not be thrilled to see Bumgarner join the team, considering he faced more hitters and started more games than any other pitcher in the National League last season. Bumgarner was again stellar in 2016, posting a 2.74, fourth best in the major leagues.