The MLB offseason is signified by two important actions, teams losing players, and teams gaining players. One team’s heartbreak is another team’s spark to light a fire that potentially carries that team to the playoffs. With 30 teams and 40 man rosters, there’s more than enough players to go around. However some teams are hesitant about parting with their stars while other teams are doing nothing but signing checks.
This year’s free agent market was the best the league has seen in decades. So many free agents are looking for that last stop to round out their career and give them their final shot at Cooperstown. The top free agents being; Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, and Teoscar Hernandez. Any team landing even one of these All-Star caliber players would have a solid shot at having a successful season. The biggest story of the free agency market was the landing of the highly awaited Juan Soto.
With eyes in and out of the league waiting in anticipation of his final destination. But, to the surprise and disappointment of many, Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets with a record breaking 805 million dollar deal being paid out over 15 years, surpassing the previous league high record of 700 million for 10 years, given to none other than Shohei Ohtani, who many speculate could be the best player in the history of the sport. Many feel the high monetary value of these contracts don’t reflect the talent these teams are receiving, sparking debate among the community.
However, just like how the 2025 offseason is lined with talent, so are the dynasties looking to nab these stars and lock them down for good. Most notably the Los Angeles Dodgers have been the most active. Signing over 10 free agents alone, all big names that some teams won’t even come close to signing even if they had 10 offseasons to negotiate deals and make trades.
The controversy comes from these deals, but specifically what team is making them. The Dodgers have always been a contending team, but with their dominance over the free agent market both in the country and internationally signing the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto through this same international free agency. Some teams feel snubbed and unable to acquire the talent they need to make a journey to the playoffs while the Dodgers just keep spending.
“The Dodgers are where every player wants to be. If these other teams don’t start spending money the league and the fans are gonna suffer.” – Nicholas Lopez 11th Grade
There are always 2 sides to every story. While some say this outrageous spending is hurting the league and setting a bad precedent, others argue that any team in the MLB can spend this amount of money, and instead blame should be put on those team’s owners for not being able to spend what is necessary to build a star studded roster.
Written By: Kendra H, Staff Writer