St. Louis Cardinals News: No World Baseball Classic in 2021

The St. Louis Cardinals’ 2020 season is up in the air still, but looking even further down the line, there won’t be a World Baseball Classic in 2021.

The MLB currently has its hands full negotiating their deal with the MLBPA for what the 2020 season would look like. However, amid the believed long horizon of the current pandemic, the 2021 World Baseball Classic has been pushed back two years to 2023.

That is, of course, if the tournament board approves it. With no end in sight, this makes sense to push back an event like the WBC.

As much fun as the 2017 WBC was, the WBC doesn’t hold as much weight as the Olympics or other events like that. Because of this, there’s no point in pushing things faster than needed.

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With the timing of the event (before spring training in 2021), there’s a very good possibility that there is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19, and it’s really not worth the risk.

While the WBC has mixed popularity in the USA, it is very popular outside of the United States. It is no doubt a disappointment that the WBC is yet another casualty of the virus. This year’s WBC would’ve been expanded, going from 16 to 20 teams. Rather than just being hosted in the USA, 2021’s WBC was set to be hosted in Japan and Taiwan as well. However, with players coming in from all over the world, it’s just not feasible with the current social climate.

What this will do is just keep the USA as the reigning champions for two years longer, something I don’t think anyone here will be upset about.

In the 2017 WBC, the Cardinals had 11 players playing, with the biggest names being Yadier Molina, Matt Carpenter, Alex Reyes, and Carlos Martinez.

While the WBC is a fun time for fans to see players who are rivals playing together (Molina and Javy Baez), the health risks can’t be justified and it’s not too surprising that it has been canceled.