Ohtani announced on Instagram that he’ll represent Japan again in next March’s international showcase. The 31-year-old generational superstar helped deliver Japan the 2023 World Baseball Classic title, punctuating it with one of the defining moments of his career when he struck out Mike Trout to end the tournament. It’s unclear whether he’ll take the mound this time around, but his mere presence makes the event mandatory viewing — the kind of gravitational sports moment you rearrange your schedule around without thinking twice.

The deal is now official. Pozo’s return on a split contract fortifies the Cardinals’ catching situation behind Pedro Páges with Iván Herrera ticketed for DH duty until further notice. The 28-year-old backstop posted a .637 OPS with five homers and 19 RBI in 168 appearances over a career-high 67 contests this past season.

Blewett will compete for a spot in the Cardinals’ season-opening bullpen during spring training after registering a pedestrian 5.48 ERA and 35/18 K/BB ratio across 44 1/3 innings over 26 appearances between the Orioles, Twins and Braves last season.

Robberse was non-tendered last week by the Cardinals after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year. The 24-year-old righty has yet to reach the majors and has posted a lackluster 4.96 ERA across 134 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level over the last three seasons.

Spiers, who will spend most of next season recovering from Tommy John surgery, returns to Cincinnati as organizational depth after being removed from the club’s 40-man roster last week. The 28-year-old right-hander owns a 5.69 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 103/41 K/BB ratio across 117 innings over 29 appearances (14 starts) since 2023.

Ghiroli adds that the two sides have stopped discussing a long-term extension after being incredibly far apart — with Stowers seeking roughly $100 million and the Marlins settling closer to the $50 million range. The 27-year-old All-Star outfielder is coming off a breakout season in which he hit .288/.386/.544 with 25 homers in 117 games. He isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2027 and won’t reach free agency until 2030. Stowers enters next season as a top-30 fantasy outfielder with realistic 30-homer and 10-steal upside.

Hernández represents an interesting low-risk gamble for Atlanta heading into next season. The 30-year-old righty, who holds a pedestrian 5.10 ERA across 303 1/3 innings over 99 appearances (49 starts) in the majors since 2018, finished last season in Toronto’s system after two seasons pitching overseas for the LG Twins in Korea.

Acuña obviously couldn’t play for his hometown team last winter because he was recovering from an ACL tear, but this will be his third stint with La Guaira in the last four years. He hit .398/.524/.717 over 31 games in the first two.

Pozo was non-tendered last week despite not being eligible for arbitration last week, so this will probably be a minor league deal that keeps him off the 40-man roster. He could then compete to keep his spot as a third catcher/pinch-hitter.

Rodriguez, 25, was impressive enough in the low minors to get added to the Mariners’ 40-man four years ago, but he didn’t develop as hoped and ended up going to Mexico after becoming a minor league free agent last winter. He went on to hit .315/.397/.497 for Aguascalientes, and he’s currently 18-for-38 with three homers in the Dominican Winter League. He’ll likely open up as one of the Royals’ Triple-A outfielders.