Soto, Peña, Machado to rejoin star-studded Dominican squad in '26 Classic

Team Dominican Republic already boasts an impressive roster of Major League talent for this year’s World Baseball Classic.

But on Sunday, it may have added its biggest star yet as Mets slugger Juan Soto confirmed his intention to play in the Classic once again for the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Baseball Federation also announced the additions of Athletics starter Luis Severino and Pirates reliever Dennis Santana to the mix on Sunday, and on Monday confirmed the addition of Padres third baseman Manny Machado, Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña and three right-handed relievers: free agent Albert Abreu, the Mets' Huascar Brazobán and the Rays' Edwin Uceta.

Soto was fantastic -- naturally -- in the 2023 WBC. Although his team didn’t advance out of pool play, he went 6-for-15 at the plate with two home runs, five extra-base hits and a 1.500 OPS.

Soto’s 2025 season, his first with the Mets, started a little slowly, but by the end of the year, he had put together another fantastic stat line. It included a career-high 43 home runs and a .921 OPS. Soto also stole 38 bases, which dwarfed his previous career high of 12. He led the Majors in walks for the fourth time in his career, earned his sixth Silver Slugger and finished third in the National League MVP voting.

The 27-year-old will suit up alongside Julio Rodríguez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ketel Marte, Fernando Tatis Jr., Machado and many other MLB luminaries for the Dominican Republic. Their squad will begin play in Pool D at 7 p.m. ET on March 6, taking on Nicaragua at loanDepot park in Miami.

Peña is coming off a career year for Houston, earning his first All-Star selection and recording a .304/.363/.477 slash line (132 OPS+) with 17 homers, 62 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Also a strong defender, the 28-year-old produced 5.7 WAR (per FanGraphs) despite missing more than a month with a fractured left rib.

Peña was closer to a league average at the plate over his first three seasons (98 OPS+), though he did flash star potential at times, particularly during his epic postseason run as a rookie in 2022. He was instrumental in the Astros capturing a World Series championship that year, winning ALCS and World Series MVP honors.

Peña made his World Baseball Classic debut the following spring, appearing in two games for the Dominican Republic at the 2023 iteration of the tournament. He’s one of two shortstops on the Dominican’s current roster, along with the D-backs’ Geraldo Perdomo.

Severino and Santana will both be participating in the World Baseball Classic for the first time this year.

Severino, who joined the Athletics on a three-year, $67 million deal last offseason, recorded a 4.54 ERA over 29 starts in his first season with the club. He owns a lifetime 3.92 ERA over 10 seasons, peaking with consecutive All-Star selections as a member of the Yankees in 2017-18.

Santana has found a home with the Pirates after bouncing around over his first seven seasons. Claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh in June 2024, the right-hander has recorded a 2.28 ERA over 109 appearances in a Pirates uniform.

Brazobán was acquired by the Mets from the Marlins at the 2024 Trade Deadline and has struck out 9.3 batters per nine since debuting in the Majors in 2022. Uceta struck out 103 batters in a career-high 76 innings with Tampa Bay last season.

Abreu, who most recently pitched in the Majors with the Yankees in 2023, has a 4.58 ERA across four big league seasons.