@kagami
why is team puerto rico considering withdrawing from the wbc over insurance?
player insurance is one of many topics rarely covered in sports. these policies allow teams to recover a portion of a players salary in the event of a covered injury.
as contracts grow larger and larger, insurance has become a significant portion of financial planning for teams. insurance is so important that it can impact disabled list decisions and free agent signings.
here's how player insurance works in mlb:
- teams determines their individual risk tolerances + select which players they want to get coverage for
- coverage usually ranges between 50-80% of a player's contract value
- premiums can run as high as 10% of a players annual salary w/ coverage over a 3 year term
like any policy, insurance companies will review player medicals, add exclusions (like for pre-existing conditions), and approve or deny coverage for each player
a few recent examples of how this works:
- in 2001: albert belle surffered a career-ending hip injury and the orioles recouped $23m of his $39m contract via insurance
- in 2009: the diamondbacks withdrew a 3-year $50m+ offer to brandon webb after insurance refused to cover his pitching arm
- in 2012: the nationals shut down stephen strasburg amid a playoff push due to concerns the insurance company may not cover an injury due to existing health concerns
so, how is insurance driving team puerto rico to potentially withdraw?
- wbc specific policies cover 100% of a players salary over 2 years (for position players) and 4 years (for pitchers) for any injury suffered during the wbc
- mlb's insurance partner denied coverage for 8-10 players on the team puerto rico roster including lindor, edwin diaz, correa, and berrios
- some of the coverage denials came a few days before wbc roster freeze which gives puerto rico no time to find replacements
team puerto rico is currently working directly with mlb to re-review cases and find private insurance for players to allow them to play in the wbc.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7012509/2026/01/31/wbc-insurance-puerto-rico-francisco-lindor/
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