PEORIA, Ariz. -- Things got a lot quieter in the Mariners' clubhouse on Sunday, as much of Seattle's star power headed out to join their respective World Baseball Classic squads.
The Mariners have a dozen players competing in the tournament, including 10 who are in Major League camp, and most of those left Sunday and will begin working out with their country's teams on Monday.
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:: 2017 World Baseball Classic ::
Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Jean Segura flew to Sarasota, Fla., to train with the Dominican Republic team that will compete with Canada, the United States and Colombia in the Miami pool. Outfielder Tyler O'Neill headed to Dunedin, Fla., to join Canada's workouts.
After pitching Sunday, Felix Hernandez will drive to nearby Surprise, Ariz., to hook up with Venezuela, while closer Edwin Diaz will train with the Puerto Rico team in Scottsdale. Venezuela and Puerto Rico open against each other Friday in Jalisco, Mexico.
Pitcher Yovani Gallardo and catcher Sebastian Valle need only cross the parking lot from the Mariners' facility to join Mexico for its workouts at the Padres' complex before heading to Jalisco to open against Italy on Thursday. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte has joined Italy's practices at the A's facility in Mesa.
Left-hander Drew Smyly could be added to the U.S. squad after the first round, but he will continue training with the Mariners until that situation occurs.
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Two other Minor Leaguer pitchers who are not in camp will take part in the Classic as well, with Sam Gaviglio playing for Italy and Emilio Pagan for Puerto Rico.
Mariners manager Scott Servais' message to his departing troops was simple.
"The one thing I can say to the guys is have fun, enjoy yourself. Don't get hurt," Servais said. "We have a big year ahead of us. They know that. They're in good shape and ready to play. Now there are opportunities for others to step up."
The World Baseball Classic runs from Monday through March 22. In the U.S., games will air live exclusively in English on MLB Network and on an authenticated basis via MLBNetwork.com/watch, while ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN will provide the exclusive Spanish-language coverage. MLB.TV Premium subscribers in the U.S. will have access to watch every tournament game live on any of the streaming service's 400-plus supported devices. The tournament will be distributed internationally across all forms of television, internet, mobile and radio in territories excluding the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan. Get tickets for games at Marlins Park, Tokyo Dome, Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Mexico, Petco Park, as well as the Championship Round at Dodger Stadium, while complete coverage -- including schedules, video, stats and gear -- is available at WorldBaseballClassic.com.
Worth noting
• Because of the World Baseball Classic absences and another split-squad day scheduled for March 17, the Mariners likely won't make many cuts until Minor League games begin on March 18.
• The Mariners and Padres will hold an informal six-inning "B" game on Monday at 10 a.m. MST on Field 1 of the Mariners complex to get some extra work for several pitchers. Rob Whalen, Dan Altavilla, Marc Rzepczynski, Nick Vincent and Shae Simmons are all slated to throw.
• Mariners starters in upcoming Cactus League games: Smyly against the Rangers on Monday, Hisashi Iwakuma vs. the Indians on Wednesday, James Paxton at the Cubs on Thursday and Chris Heston vs. the Cubs in Peoria on Friday.