One Blue Jays game to already mark on your calendar in 2026

The offseason has begun, and the Toronto Blue Jays have dropped news about a spring training exhibition game. On March 3, in Dunedin, Florida, the Blue Jays will face Team Canada in a tune-up game ahead of the World Baseball Classic. The WBC begins two days later, on March 5, in San Juan, Houston, Tokyo, and Miami.

One Blue Jays game to already mark on your calendar in 2026

The tournament begins with a round robin stage, consisting of four pools with five teams in each pool. Team Canada has never made it past the initial round-robin stage. Canada is in Pool A, which will be played in San Juan. In addition to Canada, the other teams in the pool are Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama, and Colombia. This pool will be stiff competition for the Canadians, as Cuba and Puerto Rico are expected to be the two favorites to represent Pool A in the Knockout Stages.

In the 2023 WBC championship game, Team Japan defeated Team USA 3-2, with Shohei Ohtani striking out his former Los Angeles Angels teammate, Mike Trout, to end the game. Freddie Freeman and Josh Naylor will likely headline Team Canada, although Naylor declined to play in 2023. Some other MLB standout players who will likely be on the roster are Tyler O'Neill, Bo Naylor, Owen Caissie, Denzel Clarke, Liam Hicks, Edouard Julien, and Otto López.

Pitching-wise, Nick Pivetta should be the top pitcher. He missed the 2023 WBC due to contracting COVID-19, so he will be ready to go in the Spring, if healthy. Jameson Taillon will likely be the only other MLB starting pitcher on the roster. In the bullpen, they'll have Cade Smith, Matt Brash, Michael Soroka, and Cal Quantrill.

It'll be a tall task for this lineup to compete with the rosters that Puerto Rico and Cuba will put out, but with the amount of prospects that Team Canada will utilize, it's not out of the question for Team Canada to advance to the Knockout Stage. After the heartbreaking World Series loss, it wouldn't be a surprise if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was donning the Canadian uniform.