Report: Posey Not Playing For Team USA in World Baseball Classic

Buster Posey said during the MLB playoffs that he would like to play for Team USA during the World Baseball Classic that starts in March, but that will not be the case.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Henry Schulman, Posey is reportedly playing it safe by staying away from the WBC in order to focus
on his health for next season. He is coming off a season in which he won the batting title, MVP award and a World Series title, along with countless other awards.

Presumably, the major reason for his absence from Team USA would be the huge pay day coming his way. It would be a pay day from the Giants that could reach $20 million per year for well over five years.

Ryan Vogelsong has reportedly confirmed that he will be playing in the WBC for Team USA, and Pablo Sandoval is presumably ready to play for Venezuela. Schulman is also reporting that Jeremy Affeldt will pitch for Team USA.

The WBC gets started for the USA March 9 when they take on Italy at Chase Field in Arizona. The semifinals and finals of the tournament will be held at AT&T Park in San Francisco March 17-19.