If you’re a fan of 29 teams across MLB, you’re probably incredibly sick of hearing about the 30th team this offseason. Sorry! But you’ll be hearing about them again and you’re going to LIKE IT.

The spending hasn’t stalled as the reigning champions continue to improve this winter. That’s not the only thing we’ll discuss this week, but it’s hard to talk about baseball right now without spiraling into the Los Angeles Dodgers and their sheer dominance in the realm of talent acquisition.

We’ll dive into their latest additions as well as another big free agent that actually signed elsewhere this week. Also, because we are content creators and know you guys eat this up like Pac-Man with the yellow pellets, we’re four positions into our top-10 players by position rankings.

So if the Dodgers have you depressed, just remember: we’ll all be fired up watching meaningless Spring Training games soon enough (but we’ve got a month more of offseason content to cover until then!)

Top Free Agents Sign Deals

As February approaches, signing a contract becomes more pressing for players still available on the market. We saw the results of that this week as a number of top remaining players signed deals including the heavily awaited decision of another Japanese sensation.

Roki Sasaki Lands at Expected Destination

Since it was determined he’d be heading to Major League Baseball from Japan at just 23 years old, the expectation in the baseball community was that Roki Sasaki would join fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Los Angeles.

Restrictions due to his age made it that Sasaki would only be able to sign as an international amateur free agent. This means he’ll have to go through arbitration and years of team control like other young international signings.

While that evened the playing field and took out the factor of the Dodgers being willing to spend more than anyone else, Sasaki still ultimately chose to join the defending champions. 

We’ve been sending flash newsletters for every huge signing this offseason and you can read all about Sasaki and the deal more there!

Toronto Makes Their Big Add in Anthony Santander

Unfortunately for Canadian baseball fans, the Blue Jays have fallen short time and time again over the years when it comes to reeling in big fish in free agency.

They were in the “final two” supposedly for Sasaki, but missed out once again. They did manage to bring in one top player on the market, though, as outfielder Anthony Santander is heading to Toronto on a five-year deal worth nearly $100 million following a career season in Baltimore.

As the top remaining outfielder on the market, Santander cashes in as Toronto’s big signing of the winter. Numerous teams were interested in his services, but there were also some concerning factors in regards to his long-term profile.

There is an opt out clause after three years for Santander, but the Jays can void that by adding a sixth year to the deal. Read more about the signing below!

Dodgers Stack The Bullpen

Just when you thought they might finally be done, the Los Angeles Thanos’ Dodgers just kept going. The baseball world was frustrated enough (justifiably or not) (EDITOR’S NOTE: it was justified) after the Sasaki signing and then Los Angeles went out and signed the best closer on the market.

Despite some reports of other clubs offering more money, Tanner Scott agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal with the Dodgers to further enhance an already exceptional pitching staff. They continued their conquest by adding more seemingly just for the sake of adding as they reached a tentative agreement with veteran reliever Kirby Yates.

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.

What percentage of Anthony Santander’s hits in 2024 were home runs?

A) 22.3%

B) 28.7%

C) 33.6%

D) 31.4%

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Top Players by Position

Our staff has put together our top 10 players at every position that we’re breaking down on the Just Baseball Show and Justbaseball.com in the weeks leading up to Spring Training!

These rankings reflect the collective average ranking from our three podcast hosts and three website editors. If you hate the rankings, say your piece in the comment sections of our social media pages (Particularly tag Jack McMullen! He’s a mean, meannnnn son of a gun that deserves some humbling).

Top Designated Hitters and Utility Players

We kicked things off with these two positions, one of which featured two of the game’s most elite, and terrifying, hitters. The designated hitter position, as the name implies, features plenty of elite hitters.

Led by none other than Shohei Ohtani, a few names such as Brent Rooker and Kerry Carpenter have rapidly risen up this list. While he may never catch Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez firmly slots into the second spot once again.

It can be tricky to classify exactly who fits into the “utility” category these days as many players are put into situations where their versatility can shine, while others that could aren’t due to roster construction. These are the guys we consider firmly fit into this category.

The leader of this list is coming off a quietly great season while the next one could be a huge X-factor for the Reds this season. One of the other top players here is still available in free agency with the ability to play great defense all over the infield.

Top Catchers

A position that’s historically weaker offensively still has plenty of talent across the league right now from experienced veterans to surging young stars.

As the only catcher with more than 10 WAR accumulated across the past two seasons, William Contreras has fully established himself as the top backstop in the game. While much less known than Rutschman, Cal Raleigh’s great season earns him the number-two spot.

Top First Basemen

One of the most stacked positions every year has vacillated noticeably from last season, but hey, that’s why we play the games.

After just one full season at the position, Bryce Harper has earned the top spot while Freddie Freeman is no longer our top player at the position after multiple years as such. No-dreads Vladdy even jumped him this season and will be playing for a huge payday next winter.

Other Headlines

• Three legendary players were inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame this week as Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner have earned the highest honor in the baseball world. Read our full story here!

• Fantasy baseball is right around the corner and we’ve got our dedicated dynasty players covered with our 2025 FYPD Rankings!

Collectibles Corner

One of the most coveted baseball cards in the world right now was pulled in Los Angeles this week by an 11-year-old card collector. The Pirates made a massive offer earlier this offseason to the lucky person that finds this card, but it’s hard to justify giving up such a card in any deal.

Paul Skenes is coming off one of the greatest rookie seasons ever, already establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball. The value of this card is hard to gauge, but the life of this 11-year-old and his family just changed in a big way. Read more!

Trivia Answer: D) 31.4%

Santander finished third in MLB with 44 home runs, but his 140 total hits were the least among the top ten home run hitters in baseball.

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