World Baseball Classic could not have come at worse time for new SF Giants manager

The World Baseball Classic is a very fun event for fans of baseball every few years, but MLB executives and managers are not as thrilled about it because of what it means for their teams during spring training.

For new SF Giants manager Tony Vitello, the WBC could not have come at a worse time as a number of his key players may very well be away from the team for some time during spring training which could impact his ability to unite the team.

WBC comes at bad time for new SF Giants manager Tony Vitello

Staff ace Logan Webb has already committed to pitch for Team USA, and Jung Hoo Lee, Willy Adames, and Rafael Devers have all been rumored to be candidates to play for their respective countries.

Team USA is putting together a pretty nice pitching staff as Webb joins the likes of Tarik Skubal and Joe Ryan, but it is always a concern when a pitcher has to compete in the event because they are having to pitch intense innings in March when, for the rest of Webb's professional career, he has been throwing relatively stress-free innings in the Cactus League.

Webb has been one of the most durable pitchers in baseball in recent years though as every season he seems to be one of the league leaders in innings pitched. One hopes the event will not have a negative impact on him.

However, the bigger issue for Vitello may be trying to establish chemistry and an identity in spring training. Webb and Adames are probably the two biggest leaders on the team so if they are gone for a few weeks that could make it harder for Vitello to get the whole team to come together as a cohesive unit.

Last season in spring training, many players and the coaching staff talked about how the chemistry seemed to be better in 2025 compared to 2024 because the Giants signed their major additions, Adames and Justin Verlander, earlier in the offseason whereas Matt Chapman and Blake Snell were signed during spring training in 2024.

To take a more positive view of things, maybe Webb and Adames not being there for all of spring training could allow other players to step up a little more and provide leadership. Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos are two players on the younger side who could take on more of a leadership role.

The timing is not ideal for Vitello given he is brand new to major league baseball and trying to get the clubhouse on his side, but maybe his energy and personality will help him overcome the issues that come with missing some of the team's key players in spring training.