Canadians in MLB: Players who could make an impact in 2025
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The 2026 World Baseball Classic is less than a year away, with next year’s tournament beginning on March 5.
Canada went 2-2 in the 2023 WBC and did not advance past round-robin play. But that didn’t stop manager Ernie Whitt from being optimistic about the future.
“I’m very excited about it. We have good young players that are coming,” Whitt said after Canada’s Pool B exit.
As anticipation builds for next year’s tournament and a potential Team Canada roster comes into focus, TSN.ca takes a closer look at all the Canadians who could make an impact at the MLB level this season.
Tyler Black – OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Hometown: Toronto
2024 stats: 18 games, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .561 OPS
2025 outlook: The son of sportscaster Rod Black, Tyler picked up two hits in his Major League debut and got into 18 games in three separate stints with the Brewers. He will begin this season in the minors, but at 24 years of age, Black has his eyes on a regular role in Milwaukee. TSN Blue Jays Reporter Scott Mitchell ranked Black as his No. 3 Canadian prospect in his annual list released earlier this year.
Matt Brash – RP, Seattle Mariners
Hometown: Kingston, Ont.
2024 Stats: 78 appearances, 3.06 ERA, 70.2 IP, 107 SO
2025 outlook: Brash became an indispensable late-inning piece for the Mariners in 2024, leading the league in appearances by a relief pitcher with 78. Brash has been held back this spring with an elbow injury but should see plenty of key innings if he’s able to get back up to speed.
Owen Caissie – OF, Chicago Cubs
Hometown: Burlington, Ont.
2024 stats: 127 games, 19 HR, 75 RBI, .848 OPS (AAA)
2025 outlook: Caissie has yet to make his big-league debut but is projected to make an impact in the coming years for the Cubs. Caissie was Mitchell’s No. 1 Canadian prospect entering in 2025 and was added to Chicago’s 40-man roster last November. Mitchell notes he’s likely to see time with the Cubs this season. He is ranked 53rd on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list.
Denzel Clarke – OF, Athletics
Hometown: Pickering, Ont.
2024 stats: 116 games, 13 HR, 53 RBI, .784 OPS (AA)
2025 outlook: The cousin of Josh and Bo Naylor, Clarke enters 2025 as Mitchell’s second-ranked Canadian prospect and is sixth in the A’s system according to MLB.com. The 24-year-old is inching closer to the majors and is on the Athletics’ 40-man roster. He was assigned to minor-league camp on March 10 but could see time in the bigs this year if he continues to hit at the minor-league levels.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
Hometown: Montreal
2024 stats: 159 games, 30 HR, 103 RBI, .940 OPS
2025 outlook: Born in Montreal during his father’s Hall-of-Fame career as a member of the Expos, Vladdy returned to being one of baseball’s best hitters in 2024 after a couple so-so seasons. Until it’s settled one way or the other, Guerrero’s contract situation with the Blue Jays is sure to dominate anything he does in 2025, but the more he’s able to replicate his numbers from last season, the more his market moves toward Shohei Ohtani-Juan Soto territory.
Liam Hicks – C, Miami Marlins
Hometown: Toronto
2024 stats: 113 games, 6 HR, 47 RBI, .736 OPS (AA)
2025 outlook: Hicks was on the move a bunch last year, going from the Rangers to the Tigers in a July trade and then being selected by the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft in December. Which likely means a big-league job awaits Hicks, or else he’d be returned to the Tigers. Hicks is a bat-first catcher whose main competition on the depth chart is Nick Fortes, who had a .227/.259/.318 slash line in 110 games.
Freddie Freeman – 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Hometown: Villa Park, Calif.
2024 stats: 147 games, 22 HR, 89 RBI, .854 OPS
2025 outlook: Born in California to Canadian parents, Freeman represented Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Since joining the Dodgers ahead of the 2022 season, all Freeman has done in his three seasons in L.A. is finish top five in NL MVP voting twice and deliver one of the biggest home runs in playoff history, walking off Game 1 with a grand slam on the way to winning his second World Series and first Fall Classic MVP award. Freeman will be critical to the Dodgers’ hopes of repeating, which seem well within the realm of possibility after a big off-season and two wins in Tokyo to start 2025.
Edouard Julien – 2B, Minnesota Twins
Hometown: Quebec City
2024 stats: 94 games, 8 HR, 21 RBI, .616 OPS
2025 outlook: After an impressive rookie season, Julien hit a sophomore slump in 2024 and ended up spending a portion of the season in triple-A. His batted-ball metrics fell off a cliff and hindered much of the power he showed during his rookie season. Julien has some competition for an everyday spot in the Twins’ lineup but the potential he showed as a rookie should earn him plenty of chances to get back on track.
Charles Leblanc – INF, Atlanta Braves
Hometown: Laval, Que.
2024 stats: 9 games, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .853 OPS
2025 outlook: Leblanc saw his second stretch of big-league action last season with the Angels and inked a minor-league deal with the Braves this past winter. He was assigned to minor-league camp on March 13 but has held his own at the plate during his brief MLB career, slashing .254/.330/.412 in 59 games.
Otto Lopez – INF, Miami Marlins
Hometown: Montreal
2024 stats: 117 games, 6 HR, 39 RBI, .690 OPS
2025 outlook: A logjam in the Blue Jays’ infield forced Lopez out the door prior to last season and after a brief stop with the Giants, Lopez found a home with the Marlins. He took advantage of the opportunity to play every day and was Miami’s most valuable player last season according to bWAR. Still only 26, Lopez can steal bases, puts the ball in play and is versatile defensively, playing five different positions last season.
Bo Naylor – C, Cleveland Guardians
Hometown: Mississauga, Ont.
2024 stats: 123 games, 13 home runs, 39 RBI, .614 OPS
2025 outlook: Similar to Julien, Naylor took a step back offensively in 2024 when compared to his rookie season. The Guardians and manager Stephen Vogt remain high on Naylor, with Vogt saying earlier this spring the 25-year-old had a “great winter.” With Austin Hedges as the only other catcher on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, Naylor should remain No. 1 on the depth chart.
Josh Naylor – 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Hometown: Mississauga, Ont.
2024 stats: 152 games, 31 home runs, 108 RBI, .776 OPS
2025 outlook: Naylor reached the 30-homer, 100-RBI mark for the first time last season and made his first All-Star team. And then he got traded. The Guardians dealt Naylor to the Diamondbacks, who sent lefty Slade Cecconi back to Cleveland. Naylor will slide into the hole left by first baseman Christian Walker in Arizona and should help ensure that the D-Backs’ offence that scored the most runs in 2024 (886) doesn’t tail off.
Tyler O’Neill – OF, Baltimore Orioles
Hometown: Maple Ridge, B.C.
2024 stats: 113 games, 31 home runs, 61 RBI, .847 OPS
2025 outlook: O’Neill joined the Orioles on a three-year, $49.5 million deal after enjoying a bounce-back season with the Red Sox in 2024. The 29-year-old had his best season since receiving MVP votes in 2021, reaching the 30-homer mark for the second time in his career. O’Neill’s problem over his seven years in MLB has been injuries as he’s only topped the 100-game mark on two occasions. If he can stay on the field, he should fit right into an Orioles lineup packed with power.
Nick Pivetta – SP, San Diego Padres
Hometown: Victoria, B.C.
2024 stats: 27 appearances, 4.14 ERA, 145.2 IP, 172 SO
2025 outlook: Pivetta was one of the last notable starters to sign this winter when he agreed to a four-year, $55 million contract with the Padres. Advanced metrics love Pivetta, who ranks in the 88th percentile in strikeout rate while being in the top 20 per cent in limiting walks. According to Statcast’s park factor – a stat that measures a ballpark’s favourability to pitchers or hitters – Petco Park in San Diego was the third-hardest place to hit in 2024. What pitcher doesn’t like hearing that?
Zach Pop – RP, Toronto Blue Jays
Hometown: Brampton, Ont.
2024 stats: 58 appearances, 5.59 ERA, 48.1 IP, 33 SO
2025 outlook: Pop is coming off his second down season in a row in 2024. His 5.81 ERA over the last two seasons made him a non-tender candidate, but the Blue Jays elected to hang onto the 28-year-old in hopes he can tap into some of his peripherals in 2025. Pop excels at getting round balls, making batters chase outside of the zone and throws hard, which are all ideal attributes for a bullpen arm.
Cal Quantrill – SP, Miami Marlins
Hometown: Port Hope, Ont.
2024 stats: 29 appearances, 4.98 ERA, 148.1 IP, 110 SO
2025 outlook: Quantrill held his own in Coors Field – a house or horrors for pitchers – while with the Rockies last season and earned himself a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Marlins. It’s been a bit of a rocky spring for Quantrill results-wise, but injuries to Eury Perez and Braxton Garrett in the Marlins’ rotation indicate he’ll have a good chance at pitching every fifth day.
Jordan Romano – RP, Philadelphia Phillies
Hometown: Markham, Ont.
2024 stats: 15 appearances, 6.59 ERA, 13.2 IP, 13 SO
2025 outlook: Romano said he was a little surprised when his hometown Blue Jays non-tendered him after an injury-riddled down season in 2024. Romano had a 2.29 ERA with 97 saves from 2020 to 2023 but had to settle for a one-year, $8.5 million deal this winter. Romano has been impressive this spring and looks ready to slide into the back end of the bullpen for a Phillies team primed to contend.
Erik Sabrowski – RP, Cleveland Guardians
Hometown: Edmonton
2024 stats: 8 appearances, 0.00 ERA, 12.2 IP, 19 SO
2025 outlook: Sabrowski did not allow a single run in eight appearances down the stretch of last regular season and pitched his way onto Cleveland’s postseason roster, where he continued to be effective. He won’t blow anyone away with his velocity – averaging 92.6 mph from the left side – but not allowing runs is the name of the game. He was shut down with elbow inflammation earlier this month but could be a key piece of the Guardians’ bullpen if healthy.
Cade Smith – RP, Cleveland Guardians
Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.
2024 stats: 74 appearances, 1.91 ERA, 75.1 IP, 103 SO
2025 outlook: From one Guardians reliver to another, Smith was downright nasty as a rookie last season for a Cleveland pen that was far and away the best in baseball. Smith played a huge part in that and won Baseball Canada’s Special Achievement Award at the 21st Baseball Canada Awards Banquet in January. He also finished fifth in the AL Rookie of the Year race and ninth in Cy Young Award voting.
Michael Soroka – P, Washington Nationals
Hometown: Calgary
2024 stats: 25 appearances, 4.74 ERA, 79.2 IP, 84 IP
2025 outlook: Soroka found something in 2024 after moving from the White Sox starting-five to the bullpen. As a starter, the 27-year-old had a 6.39 ERA while striking out 12 per cent of hitters he faced. But out of the pen Soroka shined, punching out a whopping 39 per cent of hitters with a 2.57 ERA. The Nats signed him to a one-year deal and moved him back to the rotation in the spring and are hoping some of the philosophical changes he made last year will carry over.
Jameson Taillon – SP, Chicago Cubs
Hometown: The Woodlands, Texas
2024 stats: 28 appearances, 3.27 ERA, 165.1 IP, 125 SO
2025 outlook: Born in Florida and raised in Texas to Canadian parents, Taillon represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic in 2013. The 33-year-old is heading into his third season with the Cubs and is coming off a solid 2024 where he went 12-8. Starting pitching depth isn’t something Chicago has much of so they’ll be counting on Taillon to build on his success from a season ago.
Abraham Toro – INF, Boston Red Sox
Hometown: Greenfield Park, Que.
2024 stats: 94 games, 6 HR, 26 RBI, .643 OPS
2025 outlook: Toro has gone from team to team the past few seasons and joined the Red Sox this winter on a minor-league deal. His offensive numbers don’t jump off the page but his ability to put the ball in play and field multiple positions could be useful if the Red Sox run into injury problems. Toro isn’t on Boston’s 40-man roster, so he has some work to do before he sees the field.
Rob Zastryzny – RP, New York Yankees
Hometown: Edmonton
2024 stats: 9 appearances, 1.17 ERA, 7.2 IP, 5 SO
2025 outlook: Zastryzny joined the Yankees on a minor-league deal with an invite to big-league camp last month. The 32-year-old hides the ball well and relies on a fastball-cutter mix for the majority of his arsenal. That approach has worked particularly well against left-handed hitters, who have hit just .190 off him in his six MLB seasons of limited action. On the flip side, righties have hit .311, so becoming more consistent in that area could help him see more action at the MLB level. He was reassigned to minor-league camp over the weekend, but lefties have a way of finding themselves opportunities.