No Joe Saunders for WBC

I saw on ESPN tv late Thursday night reporting that the Angels have blocked both Saunders and Lackey from playing under the rule that states, “Any player that missed time during the previous season or had injuries could be blocked from playing in the WBC.” There is also a three day old article on the Angels website quoting Reagins stating this was the reason Lackey was forbidden from playing in the WBC, but it does’nt mention Saunders. Apparently Reagins is making sure all his starters are going to be as healthy as possible for opening day.

 Looks like Tony is wary of them playing and risking any sort of injury that could happen leaving him even shorter in the starter rotation than he already is.

It’s unfortunate that teams are pitted against their players when deciding country vs. organization, but no team is going to willingly let a player put more mileage on his body for a cause that has nothing to do with them.

Tony Reagins concurs.

Hat Tip = Three Days of Cryin’

but I’m still concerned about Ervin. He has been been pitching at a high level non-stop for a while now. Guy is going to keep going through winter and into the WBC? When does he get some rest?

thank god that Joe and John are not playing

Placing the WBC as a lesser priority doesn’t mean you’re putting the Angels over your home country. The WBC needs to be around for another 50 years or so to carry anything close to the same weight as the World Series, so until then I think it’s perfectly fine to enjoy the WBC as a fun exhibition of the best available players.