Johnny Sources is at it again, but this time, he’s taking it international. 

With the World Baseball Classic just a couple of months away, national teams are starting to get pieced together, and Team Canada just got a major rotation boost. Per Giunta, Cubs starter Jameson Taillon has been added to Team Canada’s roster and could be their go-to arm against stronger teams in their pool, like Puerto Rico or Cuba, at the upcoming tournament.

Taillon, who was born in Lakeland, Florida and went to school in Texas, holds Canadian citizenship thanks to his parents, who were both born in the Great White North. He also has numerous family ties from coast to coast and he repped Canada at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the youngest player on the team at 21. Taillon has not represented the nation at the following tournaments since.

A nine-year veteran of the big leagues, Taillon is in the final year of his four-year contract with the Chicago Cubs and is coming off a 3.68 ERA across 23 starts last season in the NL Central. For his career, the right-hander owns a 3.87 ERA and a 4.01 FIP across 1237 innings, posting a 2.1 BB/9 and a 7.8 K/9.

The biggest hurdle for Taillon throughout his career has been his health, as he has landed on the IL a few times for a variety of reasons. Taillon missed time in 2017 after undergoing surgery for testicular cancer and then missed all of 2020 while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Last season, a left groin strain and a right calf strain sent him to the IL.

With Taillon now committed, Team Canada’s rotation is starting to take shape. Michael Soroka and Cal Quantrill are both interested and likely locks to play for Team Canada, as well as James Paxton, who is willing to come out of retirement to don the Maple Leaf again. Some wild cards are in the mix, such as Jonah Tong and Mitch Bratt, and the rotation/roster will significantly improve if at least one of those two can suit up for the tournament.

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