WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL B

March 5, 2026

Mark DeRosa

Logan Webb

Daikin Park

Team USA

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Straight to the meat of it -- expectations for the tournament, is it championship or bust?

MARK DEROSA: I think so. Respect for everybody, fear nobody. Full football mentality. Definitely last time in 2023, walking away after the whole Trout-Ohtani thing, 3-2. Something I have thought about for a long time and took into account when putting the roster together.

So, yeah, I think the expectation is to win the whole thing.

Q. You are now back at the World Baseball Classic for the second time. Can you reflect on the growth of the game globally since the last one and where you think the next few years will take the game internationally?

MARK DEROSA: I think from my perspective, from the United States perspective, I give a ton of credit to Latin American countries, their passion, their fans; kind of the mystery of Japan the way they have been able to come into this tournament and perform so well.

I think it has kind of forced a hand to get guys like this in the room, to be honest with you. I think there's a fear of missing out on the United States side. And my talks in recruiting the players were a heck of a lot different this time around than in 2023.

Yeah, I just feel like there's been a tidal wave of emotion kind of wanting to win this thing. And I think guys like Logan, guys like Paul Skenes, from a pitching perspective, were very adamant about wanting to be here.

So, yeah, I kind of lean into that, the whole Trout-Ohtani experience. And then the World Series going seven games with Toronto and L.A., I think baseball is at, just on top right now.

Q. Mark, last time around, in 2023, you talked about your team players need to experience the game the same way some of the Latin American players did. We really saw that in that match against Venezuela. After that home run the players jumping over the fence. Is this something you have repeated to this set of players this time around as well?

A. No doubt. And Logan can probably speak to this as well. For 162 season I don't think you can lean in like that and be so passionate. I think you would run out of gas midseason.

But for a seven-game blast you can let it eat. You really can. Just coming over on the bus today, Roman Anthony is the young guy on the team. He obviously was forced to go by a gigantic speaker, and they had Toby Keith blasting. You can just tell there's a different vibe amongst these guys than what I was a part of in 2023.

Q. What Kobe Keith song was it?

LOGAN WEBB: "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."

Q. Was that always Roman's job to acquire the speaker?

LOGAN WEBB: I think so. I think Harp was on that, making the young guy do it. He is excited about it, too.

Q. With everybody watching the bullpen sessions, how cool is that for you to have guys, the All-Stars, the Cy Young guys watching you and giving some input?

LOGAN WEBB: It was awesome. I think the best part of it for me was right after, when Skube was throwing. You said it earlier, that's probably the best bullpen I have ever seen in my entire life. That was fun. That was fun to watch.

DeRo was right behind me when I was throwing. I've got Andy Pettitte watching me throw a bullpen. It's something you kind of dream of.

Q. This is for either of you. You mentioned Bryce having Roman Anthony get the speaker. Who are more of the boisterous or leadership guys keeping the energy on the team for Team USA?

MARK DEROSA: When I started the process of putting the team together, you want to position-player pillar and you want a pitching pillar. Guys want to be around greats and get 1% better. That's what I noticed.

In '23, guys wanted to be and Trout. And I felt like if we could get Judge on board -- which he was all in from last March -- and Skenes on board, I felt like guys like Logan and guys like Skubes, on down the line -- Nolan McLean is hopefully going to get here today -- would want to be around that.

As far as who is the more boisterous, I wanted to create a room with different personalities, put a team together chemistry-wise, character-wise, have no deficiencies, no weaknesses.

I would say as we were pulling away last night from the plane I saw Schwarber have the mic --

LOGAN WEBB: I would say Schwarbs is probably that guy.

Q. Why is that?

LOGAN WEBB: I think that is just the way he is. The last two-days have been a blast. We have scored 14 and 15. Just being in the dugout watching those guys, the energy they have, it's all of them. It's not just him. It is a team effort. Watching these guys all run around like kids and have fun has been a real pleasure to watch.

Q. Hey, Logan, it is a World Cup year, right, in soccer. This is the world cup of baseball. Just how different is it to be wearing this uniform to compare when you play for your team in the majors? And now you are together with an all-star team. You are playing with the best, the guys that you are usually facing.

LOGAN WEBB: I would say it is an honor to represent my country. It feels different. It is exciting. First time I put it on, it was like, all right, let's do this thing. It has been like that ever since.

It has been three-days ago, four-days ago. Kind of feels like a dream. Just excited to share the clubhouse with these guys and go win seven games.

MARK DEROSA: This has been a three-, four-year recruitment for him. I tried to get him in '23. We were on the phone at length. Then San Francisco jumped in and gave him a huge extension. He kind of backed out. I have been slow-playing trying to get him on this roster for a while.

LOGAN WEBB: Just watching the last one, even though I wasn't part of it, I felt like I was. They are representing all of the United States players around baseball. It left a sour taste in your mouth. You want to be a part of it the next one and bring it home.

Q. How much juice was that, seeing what the hockey team just did for you guys, a lot of pros that are in a similar situation you all are?

MARK DEROSA: It was definitely running on the group chat, there's no doubt about it, everything they accomplished.

It is crazy. You can't put it into words. I wasn't a guy who played in a bunch of All-Star Games. Logan has been that guy. There is a different vibe when you get in a room and "USA" goes across your chest. I am sure the other countries feel the same way about playing for their countrymen.

I go back to calling Paul Skenes, and I had this whole elaborate pitch laid out that I was going to give him to try to woo him to the team. And he's, like, DeRo, save it. I am doing this for every serviceman and woman that protects our freedom.

And I'm, like, all right. Yeah. I need to start thinking like that. He changed my mindset on the whole thing. There's something very powerful about it.

Q. My apologies if it has been answered on any other outlet. Just to get it to our viewership over Mexico and probably for the rest of the pool play, you know who is pitching that game against Mexico?

MARK DEROSA: Yeah, it is Skenes. Yeah.