Mariners grateful for Bryan Woo’s sacrifice for the good of the team

The Mariners will have more representatives at the 2026 World Baseball Classic than any other team, but Bryan Woo won’t be among them.

The Seattle Mariners will have 16 players involved in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, including nine of their Major League roster and seven minor leaguers. It’s more than any other team in the majors, but it actually could have been even worse.

It turns out that Bryan Woo turned down an invitation to join his Mariners teammates Cal Raleigh and Gabe Speier on Team USA. The World Baseball Classic may still be in its infancy in the grand scheme of things, but this is a big sacrifice regardless, given how much it means to players to represent their country.

Woo met with the media on Friday in Peoria to discuss what happened, with his explanation showing how focused he is with being at his best for the Mariners. As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, he said:

“I would have loved to do it. But I just wanted to be smart about mostly the workload jump from ’24 to ’25. You add early games, early preparation, early high-stress innings — my goal is to be throwing 200-plus innings and make all my starts. Like, that’s a big jump to do this year.”

Growing pains for Bryan Woo

Woo has seen his innings count grow in each of his three seasons to date in the majors, from 87.2 innings in 2023, to 121.1 in 2024 and then 186.2 last year. However, it’s important to note that despite his increased workload in each of the past two years, both seasons also saw him dealing with injury issues.

This included a pectoral injury last year right near the end of the regular season, which understandably proved to be to the detriment of both player and team in the playoffs. As per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, Woo said:

“I definitely was disappointed with just how that whole season ended. I would have obviously loved to contribute more to the team in the postseason, and that definitely hurt.”

Disappointed has to be an understatement considering just how excellent and consistent the 26-year-old was last season, as he developed into the ace of the M’s stellar pitching staff. His durability was also a plus for an injury-impacted rotation, as he set a franchise record by going at least 6.0 innings in each of his first 25 starts of the campaign.

Woo led all Mariners pitchers with a 4.2 bWAR and 15 wins — both career-highs — while also earning his first All-Star selection, was named to the All-MLB Second Team and finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting. His Baseball Savant page really helped highlight his overall impact, as he ranked in the 100th percentile in Fastball Run Value and the 97th percentile in Pitching Run Value.

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Mariners ready to take the next step in 2026

The righty does admit that things could have been different in terms of representing Team USA next month, but his explanation of this only further compounded the fact he’s doing what’s best for the Mariners. He said:

“If I had a couple of years where (I was) consistently healthy and consistent workload and all that stuff was much more stable, it would be a different situation, I think. But like I said, just trying to be smart about it. My priority is to be here.”

While not mentioned on Friday, you do have to at least wonder if the Seahawks’ recent Super Bowl win also factored into Woo’s decision in some way? He attended the game in San Francisco with Raleigh, as well as George Kirby and Josh Naylor, and seeing their Lumen Field neighbors lift the Lombardi trophy might well have motivated him even more to the same with the Mariners.

If the M’s are to win their first ever World Series, it’s imperative they have a healthy Woo. Also speaking to the media on Friday, manager Dan Wilson said:

“I thought his health was great last year just until the end, when we had the little hiccup there. What he went through last year, some of that same approach will be taken this year with it. I think he’s in a really good spot and he’s ready to go.”

This is an important season for the Mariners after coming closer than ever last year to their first ever World Series berth. If Woo’s focus, determination and commitment are any indication, this team has what it needs to take that next step in 2026 and reach for the stars in their 50th season.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

What kind of season do you expect from Woo in 2026? Similar to last year, a step back, or will he be even better than ever? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.