Could WBC rule open door for more aces?

A long-anticipated World Baseball Classic rule change is official: WBC organizers have created a 10-member “designated pitcher pool,” from which national teams may add up to two pitchers following each round of the tournament, a source confirmed to MLB.com. 

Already, Team USA officials are working to leverage the new asset. 

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The Americans’ wooing of three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw has been an open secret for months. For a tournament seeking broader appeal — and a team pursuing its first title — the notion of Kershaw pitching at Dodger Stadium in the semifinal or final is irresistible. 

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But now we’ve learned Team USA is courting another illustrious left-hander: Madison Bumgarner, Kershaw’s divisional adversary and the greatest postseason pitcher of his era. 

Team USA officials, led by general manager Joe Torre, have been in contact with representatives for Bumgarner, sources say, but the three-time World Series champion has yet to reach a decision. 

Bumgarner, 27, has pitched in three winner-take-all postseason games for the Giants, and he has yet to allow a run in 23 innings. A winner-take-all preseason game could be next.  

The pitching pool for which Bumgarner and Kershaw are being considered is an addendum to each team’s 28-man active roster; the combined list of up to 38 names must be submitted by Feb. 6, roughly one month before the tournament begins. 

Team USA has four confirmed starting pitchers on its 28-man roster: right-handers Max Scherzer, Chris Archer and Marcus Stroman, and left-hander Danny Duffy. They will form the core of the U.S. rotation during …

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