Tarik Skubal Joins Team USA for 2026 WBC, Reuniting with Cal Raleigh in a Star-Studded Rotation
For months, Mariners fans have been toying with a tantalizing “what if” - what if the best pitcher in baseball ended up throwing to their beloved backstop, Cal Raleigh? Well, that dream is about to become reality… just not in a Mariners uniform.
Tarik Skubal, the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner, officially committed to Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Thursday. That means the hard-throwing lefty will be working with Raleigh once again - this time on the international stage.
This is a major get for Team USA. Skubal headlines a growing list of arms that now includes Logan Webb, Mason Miller, and David Bednar, joining a rotation that already featured Paul Skenes and Joe Ryan.
That’s not just depth - that’s dominance. And for Seattle fans, it’s a chance to see their catcher team up with a pitcher they’ve admired (and tormented) all year long.
From Opponent to Teammate: Skubal and the Mariners’ Complicated Dance
Let’s be real - the relationship between Mariners fans and Skubal in 2025 has been anything but simple.
On one hand, Seattle beat him four times this past season, including a decisive Game 5 in the ALDS. On another, he still looked every bit the best pitcher in baseball while doing it. Skubal’s fastball was electric, his command razor-sharp, and even in defeat, he looked like the kind of ace who can change the trajectory of a franchise.
Which is exactly why his name has been floating around Seattle’s trade rumor mill all offseason. The Mariners have the farm system to make a deal happen, but Detroit’s asking price - not to mention Skubal’s free agency looming after 2026 - has made it a tough needle to thread.
So while fans have been dreaming of a Skubal-Raleigh battery in Seattle, it’s the World Baseball Classic that will finally bring it to life.
A Familiar Battery with Big-Time Chemistry
This won’t be the first time Skubal and Raleigh have worked together. They were the starting battery for the American League in this year’s All-Star Game in Atlanta - a pairing that gave fans one of the most entertaining mic’d-up moments of the season.
The chemistry was real, the energy was infectious, and the performance? As sharp as you’d expect from two of the game’s best at their positions.
Now, they’ll look to bring that same synergy to Team USA, where expectations are sky-high. The U.S. has only one WBC title to its name, and this roster is shaping up to be one of the most talented ever assembled. Skubal and Raleigh won’t just be along for the ride - they’ll be at the center of it.
A Daydream Realized - Even If Just for a Moment
For Mariners fans, this WBC pairing is a bit of a tease. Yes, it’s happening - Skubal throwing to Raleigh, the ace and the slugger, side by side. But it’s happening in red, white, and blue, not navy and teal.
Still, that doesn’t make it any less exciting. Watching Skubal pump 101 mph fastballs to Raleigh on an international stage is going to be must-see TV.
And if they help lead Team USA to its second WBC championship? That’s the kind of moment that sticks with a fanbase.
Especially for Raleigh, who’s in the middle of a run that’s bordering on legendary. Since March, he’s signed a nine-figure contract, made his first All-Star team, won the Home Run Derby, crushed 60 home runs, and helped lead the Mariners deeper into the postseason than ever before.
A World Baseball Classic title would be a fitting exclamation point on one of the most incredible calendar years any player has had in recent memory.
So while the Skubal-to-Raleigh connection might not be a long-term fixture in Seattle, it’s going to be a highlight of the 2026 WBC. And for a few weeks next spring, Mariners fans can enjoy the dream - even if it’s just a glimpse.