What Could Team USA Look Like if MLB Players Are Allowed in the LA 2028 Olympics?

It remains to be seen if MLB will adjust its schedule to make room for a full-on Olympic break in Los Angeles in 2028, but Team USA could be led by a new generation of stars by then.

Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; USA right fielder Mookie Betts (3) listens to the national anthem prior to the game against Japan at LoanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Paris 2024 Olympics just came to a close, and for all of the iconic moments that defined this year's Games, none of them happened on a diamond.

Baseball and softball have come and gone from the Olympics over the years, and they were absent from the lineup in Paris. They were reintroduced in Tokyo in 2021 after a 13-year hiatus, though, and it won't be long before they are added back to the rotation.

The pair of sports will be part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and potentially even the Brisbane 2032 Olympics as well.

What is still up in the air, however, is who exactly will be eligible to take the field when 2028 arrives.

Baseball was only open to amateurs in 1992 and 1996. MLB then barred its players from playing in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, all while Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball gave its players a green light. Still, when the IOC dropped baseball from the program in 2008, they cited a lack of premier talent as a major reason why.

So, with baseball returning to the fray, it's only natural to want the biggest superstars in the sport to usher it back in.

It admittedly would have been a logistical nightmare to introduce MLB players during the COVID-impacted Olympics in Tokyo. But now, with a full runway and ample time to prepare, it would be in commissioner Rob Manfred's best interest to open the floodgates in 2028.

The most recent World Baseball Classic was a major hit in 2023, largely propped up by MLB's biggest stars from around the globe. Japan beat Team USA in the championship game, while Mexico came in third and Cuba placed fourth.

The next World Baseball Classic is set for 2026, giving the sport another chance to take a leap forward on the international stage.

MLB allowing its players play in the WBC, which takes place in March, is certainly different than adjusting to an event that takes place over a two-week span in July and August. As a result, the league might dig its heels in and continue to play hard ball, robbing fans everywhere of fresh and exciting competition.

If Manfred and the league office do decide to adjust the schedule, moving and extending the All-Star break to make room for the Olympics, then every country's roster will suddenly become far more star-studded.

Just as a quick thought experiment, here is what Team USA's lineup could look like come 2028 (each player's age in July 2028 has been added in parentheses):

C: Adley Rutschman (30), Will Smith (33)
1B: Pete Alonso (33), Triston Casas (28)
2B: Jackson Holliday (24), Marcelo Mayer (25)
SS: Bobby Witt Jr. (28), Gunnar Henderson (27)
3B: Austin Riley (31), Alec Bohm (32)
LF: Corbin Carroll (27), Steven Kwan (30)
CF: Mike Trout (36), Dylan Crews (26)
RF: Aaron Judge (36), Mookie Betts (35)
DH: Bryce Harper (35)

SP: Paul Skenes (26)
SP: Grayson Rodriguez (28)
SP: Hunter Greene (29)
SP: Tarik Skubal (31)
SP: George Kirby (30)

RP: Hunter Gaddis (30)
RP: Pete Fairbanks (34)
RP: Ryan Helsley (34)
CL: Devin Williams (33)

The United States won silver in Tokyo in 2021, so Team USA medaling is not completely dependent on MLB players' arrival. On top of making them a contender to win gold, though, the squad listed above would surely draw plenty of eyeballs as they tried to slay Japan, South Korea, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Cuba and other juggernauts from around the world.

After all, just look at what Team USA has done for men's basketball in the Olympics. From the Dream Team to the Redeem Team to the latest iteration of America's best hoopers winning gold, the path has been laid for the same thing to happen in baseball.

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