Pitchers and catchers are set to report to Arizona next week, and we’re exactly one month away from the World Baseball Classic!

The smell of fresh cut grass, the dew in the air, and the crack of a bat. Baseball is near. It’s almost that time.

With the last top name on the board signing last night, we’ll run through the latest offseason moves as teams add the final touches to their roster.

Recent Trades and Signings

With most of the top dogs off the board, this week in player acquisitions fixated mostly on the margins of the roster. Yes, we saw movement for multiple All-Stars, but the players donning new threads this week are more complementary pieces.

What this week brought as well was some bigger-market decisions made by smaller market organizations. Sure, one extension actually lowered the cash payroll for this team in 2026, but the move itself is great for the game.

Framber Valdez Signs With Detroit Tigers

Happy “Tarik Skubal Arbitration Hearing Day” to those who celebrate. The Tigers celebrated the occasion by pairing him with another All-Star left-hander in veteran Framber Valdez.

Last year was shaping up to be the 32-year-old’s best, until a second-half tailspin marred by controversy turned it into one of his worst. Alas, he’s still among the great innings eaters in the game at worst, and one of the best run-preventers in the league no matter what. Since 2022, he’s tied for 18th among 153 qualified pitchers with a 3.21 ERA.

It wasn’t the fault of the pitching staff that Detroit’s season ended in the ALDS for the second straight year. However, great baseball starts and ends with great pitching. Adding a second All-Star to your rotation is never a bad thing.

Brendan Donovan Traded to the Mariners

The Seattle Mariners finally found their bat to replace the departed Jorge Polanco, landing utilityman Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals. The 29-year-old’s bat doesn’t deliver the same kind of impact, but he’s as steady as they come.

He’s not going to challenge the power of Polanco, but he gives the M’s an element of hit-over-power they oftentimes lacked in 2025. While it didn’t prevent them from a deep playoff run, that 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in Games 6 and 7 killed them in the ALCS.

José Ramírez Signs (Another) Extension With the Guardians

I’m not sure the contract sets a great precedent for the future of stars in contract negotiations. What I am sure of, however, is lifelong members of the same organization are great for baseball. Especially when someone the caliber of Ramírez becomes said life.

Entering his age-33 season, the switch-hitter is closing in on 300 homers, 300 stolen bases, and 60 fWAR. He’s also a hop, skip, and a jump away from 2,000 hits — though Ichiro would start punching air if he got there in 2026. Regardless, there’s an argument Ramírez is the greatest player in Cleveland baseball history; this extension almost assures that.

This new extension locks Ramírez down through 2032, his age-39 season. Overall, the re-work nets him $175 million over these seven seasons. The third baseman recently soft launched his extension by gushing over the city and organization. He even mentioned he’s cognizant of the money he’s left on the table by never hitting free agency.

Harrison Bader and Luis Arraez Sign With the Giants

The Giants needed desperately to improve their lineup this offseason. Even if Bader’s offensive ceiling at Oracle Park is low, he accomplishes that goal of improving defense in center field. Last season, he played 81 games in center field, outpacing his Bay Area peers by 24 defensive runs saved (he only had six).

Last year was Bader’s best since his rookie campaign, where he posted 3.7 fWAR in 138 games. His 17 home runs and 54 RBI were also both career-highs, as was his wRC+ of 122.

Arraez is one of the game’s most polarizing players for several reasons. Old school fans love him, and it makes sense why. He’s an annoying at-bat; can’t strike him out, can’t walk him. But on the flip side, you’re aware he’s not doing a whole lot of damage, which is why new school fans don’t love him.

Defensively, he’s never been in the Gold Glove hunt. With the Giants, he’s likely moving back to second base. Thus, giving them a right side of Arraez and Summer of 2025 acquisition Rafael Devers.

It’s a huge outfield. There’s plenty of real estate for the multi-time batting champion to pepper line drives. It just may come with the cost of him never hitting a home run at his home ballpark.

Jacob Wilson Signs Extension With the Athletics

My first two thoughts when this deal got announced: This is great for the Athletics, and this is awful for Oakland Athletics fans. Wilson is a very good player and extending him is a great piece of business. But what makes you smile can also make you cry.

All that fan base wanted was ownership and the front office to treat its players like valuable commodities. I often think of that scene from Moneyball, when the radio caller refers to the A’s as a farm system for the New York Yankees. That remained true into the early 2020s, with the likes of Sean Murphy and Matt Olson getting traded to Atlanta. Now, with the team ticketed for Las Vegas, it starts spending money and giving out pre-arbitration extensions.

Make it make sense.

Eugenio Suárez Signs With the Reds

You know that viral gif people use from Ratatouille of renowned food critic Anton Ego? The one where he takes a bite of his food and it flashes him back to his childhood? Eugenio Suárez going back to Cincinnati, where he had his first 49-homer season, is that gif personified for me.

It’s a great landing spot for him, not just because we have proof of concept. He goes to a familiar organization and can just focus on hitting the ball 1,000 feet. Ke’Bryan Hayes can lock down third base without pressure to offer much offense, Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer hold down shortstop and first base. Suárez just hits a bunch of homers and makes $15 million in the process.

The Reds were having a pretty mediocre winter to this point; Suárez changes that.

Other Signings and Trades

• Boston Red Sox reportedly signed infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one-year deal

• Arizona Diamondbacks signed veteran Carlos Santana to a one-year deal

• Red Sox traded right-hander Jordan Hicks, cash, and pitching prospect David Sandlin to Chicago White Sox for pitching prospect Gage Ziehl

• White Sox signed outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year deal

• Los Angeles Angels re-signed infielder Yoán Moncada to a one-year deal

• San Diego Padres signed utility player Miguel Andujar to a one-year deal

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who is the highest paid pitcher (not including Ohtani) by Average Annual Value in MLB history?

A) Justin Verlander

B) Max Scherzer

C) Zack Wheeler

D) Framber Valdez

Top MLB Infielders for 2026

We’re ranking the top players at every position in MLB leading up to the start of spring training and the MLB season!

These rankings are the consensus average of the hosts of the Just Baseball Show and our website editors. You can find detailed write ups of every list on Justbaseball.com and full breakdowns on the Just Baseball Show.

Top Catchers for 2026

Led by AL MVP candidate, Cal Raleigh, this position is a challenging one to predict year-by-year. It certainly has changed since this time last season, and will likely do so again this time next year.

Top First Basemen for 2026

As stacked as it gets offensively, this position flat out rakes. After a historic postseason, Vladdy has earned the top spot on our rankings followed by a legend and a player coming off a legendary Rookie of the Year season.

Top Second Basemen for 2026

The top player at this position was obvious, but the position as a whole has gotten deeper in recent seasons. This one is a blend of proven veterans and some players with more to prove as they continue to progress.

Top Shortstops for 2026

There is no position more loaded with superstars than shortstop, yet the top two were consensus picks among the eight voters! Superstars everywhere you look is the easiest way to describe the shortstop position.

Top Third Basemen for 2026

It may not quite be at the same of shortstop, but third base is real close these days. The newly extended J-Ram leads the pack, but there is plenty of star talent throughout this position.

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Trivia Answer: B) Max Scherzer

His deal signed in 2021 with the New York Mets was worth $43.33 million in average annual value, which is just $3,333 more than Justin Verlander’s deal signed with New York the following year.

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