For the second World Baseball Classic in a row, it looks like the Mariners Hisashi Iwakuma will opt to forgo the tournament. There is no official word on his decision yet, but if history is any indication, I wouldn’t expect Iwakuma to take part in the international competition.
The last time Iwakuma had the opportunity to represent his country in the WBC in 2013, he decided to skip the contest because he had just signed a lucrative two-year fourteen million dollar contract extension with the Mariners, and thought he should focus on preparing for the team.