February 5 is a date marked on the calendar of all Venezuelans, since that day the official rosters of the 20 countries will be announced; including Venezuela, which will participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Read also: Ángel Reyes reached 20 home runs in the postseason
During a question and answer session of the Venezuelan Baseball Federation (FEVEBEISBOL), president Aracelis León revealed that the issue of insurance is an important issue in obtaining a player’s permit and how this year—in particular—it has been a tougher issue.
“The permission of organizations is important… but the most critical issue this year has been the issue of insurance,” said the head of the Federation. “The insurance companies are the ones that do the (medical) analyzes of each of the players and once these companies give the green light, then that is when the email from MLB is received with the player’s approval.”
Insurance is a hot topic
It should be noted that according to a work by Jorge Castillo of the LA Times in 2023, the insurance policy for the World Classic, which is responsible for protecting organizations in the event that their players suffer injuries during the event, may not be approved for two points.
- The player has a ‘chronic condition’ based on his history of injuries during his career.
- Having been on the injured list for a considerable time during the previous season or having finished it while disabled.
Aracelis León also explained that the insurance depends on the age, the position the player plays, whether he is a starter or not and the expectation that his organization has of him in the upcoming season. “All these analyzes are done when saying that the player will not be at risk.”
“Every day we are receiving emails from MLB with the approval of the players,” Arecelis added, offering some calm in the face of the little official information prior to the agreed date to know the rosters. «I think that in each Classic there is always a different theme. Forming a team of the level we want is not easy, we know the weaknesses and strengths that we must build.
Insurance is an MLB issue
Likewise, he shared what the process is like to form the team based on the players they want. «In December we sent the list of the players we want. Once this list is evaluated and submitted by the insurers and equipment owners, the issue of permits can begin. Particularly this year that process has been slower.
It should be noted that all players who belong to the MLB system must undergo insurance approval, unlike players who live on Asian circuits whose policies must be borne by the Federation.
For his part, he added that the team plans to meet for the first time on March 1, the next day would be training, while 3 and 4 will be the previously announced exhibition games against the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach; spring headquarters of both teams. “On the 5th we would be traveling to Miami to start the tournament.”
Pitching is priority
He described that the priority is to put together a good pitching staff and in the cases of Eugenio Suarez and Luis Arráez; free agents still, the delegation has planned a plan B in case they sign and their new organizations deny them permission.
Thus, the Federation does not stop its work, both in operational issues and in player permits. The president mentioned that she works on this last aspect with manager Omar López and sports manager José “Chato” Yépez, always attentive in case the insurance does not approve a player’s permit.
Roster in almost half
“We are at 60% to complete the roster… this week has been the most active that MLB has had in the formation of teams,” said Aracelis, who also clarified: “that could happen in a single day, a single email where the approval or not of all the players is. It is an issue that MLB controls, it does not depend on us. It also has nothing to do with our relations with MLB, on the contrary, we have good relations with them.
