The competition is weakened by the absence of players who are either recovering from or fearing injuries. The perception of the tournament suffers, diminishing interest. The latest injury reports give the event's critics reason to say, "I told you so."

Team USA isn't an isolated case; Yankees officials did not sound pleased when second baseman Robinson Cano and reliever Damaso Marte rejoined the team in worse shape than when they left to play for the Dominican Republic.

Pedroia and Jones, in particular, could have suffered the same injuries if they had remained in spring training. But major league teams spend the WBC terrified that one of their multimillion dollar investments will be damaged, if not during the tournament, then later.

Players get hurt in spring training; see Vernon Wells, Ervin Santana and Justin Duchscherer, not to mention Alex Rodriguez, and as of Sunday — ahem — Manny Ramirez. Some players — Pedroia, for one — actually prefer the higher level of intensity in the WBC. But for high-velocity pitchers such as Lindstrom, in particular, the greater the effort, the greater the risk.

The Mets' J.J. Putz contends that relievers actually face less peril, saying, "Even in spring training, we're taught to give everything we can for that one inning." But Luis Ayala, pitching for Mexico, blew out his elbow in the first WBC. Imagine if the same thing happened to Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, who is pitching with great emotion for Venezuela.

The sport, quite obviously, is willing to sacrifice bodies, if necessary, to increase its global marketing appeal. The participating major leaguers minimize the potential tradeoff, saying they relish the experience. Many recognized that they would need to be in game condition earlier in the spring, and adjusted their preparation accordingly.

Yet, as Braun noted, position players must adjust to playing nine meaningful innings when they are accustomed to departing spring-training exhibitions after three or four. Johnson said that Team USA went with fewer position players to ensure that there would be enough playing time for all. The problem is, a player cannot be replaced if he is injured in the middle of a round; if Team USA loses Braun on top of Jones, Johnson will be down to two players on his bench Tuesday.

The bottom line: Major League Baseball and the players' union need to explore different dates and formats for the tournament rather than blindly defend the event. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer.

One general manager tells me that the WBC should be held at the end of spring training, when players are closer to game-ready. Another GM says such a plan would be tough for "team construction" and suggests reducing the field from 16 to eight teams and playing the WBC at the All-Star break every four years.

A reduced field would be counter-productive to the event's global vision, and prevent a repeat of a Netherlands-like Cinderella story. All-Star breaks are held at different times in different countries; coordinating schedules would be difficult.

OK, OK, the proper solution is elusive. Baseball, though, needs to keep trying. The WBC is too good to concede to its critics. And right now, the critics are holding sway.