You can’t just call Shohei Ohtani a Japanese phenom now. Not after he has etched his name in baseball “greats” after all he did in 2024 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 50-50 club entry and the otherworldly gameplay that got him his MVP and first World Series ring—all are proof. But he didn’t stop there; his 2025 encore was almost unfair.

Ohtani hit .282/.392/.622 with 54 home runs and also added 47 innings on the mound with a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts. So not just hitting but also pitching. Even then, when MLB managers were asked which hitter they least wanted to see on the line, the answer was not Ohtani.

It was Freddie Freeman. 

And that’s where things get scary for the rest of baseball.

Skip Schumaker of the Texas Rangers laid it plainly—Freeman hits righties, hits lefties, stays inside the ball, uses the whole field, and never chases. Schumaker was straight, “Obviously Ohtani is the best hitter, but I don’t want to see Freddie.” 

Even Torey Luvullo said the same—if one needs a single, Freeman gets you a single; if double, then he finds a gap.

Even the managers who had openly said that Ohtani was the best hitter said that they would rather take their chances with him than face Freeman.

Freeman is now 36, and he doesn’t hunt the headlines, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t do amazing things. In 2025, he posted a .295 average, .367 OBP, .869 OPS, 24 home runs, and 90 RBIs across 147 games. It was his fourth straight All-Star season with LA.

That is what makes the Dodgers’ dominance so prominent. Managers mentioned Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers multiple times. The only other player they mentioned was Kyle Schwarber.

Now Freeman’s Dodgers tenure has already got two championships, which also includes that unforgettable 2024 World Series walk-off grand slam. It’s something no one has ever done before. And not just his on-the-field presence, but also his off-the-field presence, his leadership, and his calm presence make him one of the most liked characters in the league.

As the Dodgers eye a three-peat, then Ohtani might still be the face of the sport—but Freeman is the one keeping the managers up at night. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have again become the “enemy” of the internet!

Edwin Díaz’s Dodgers deal has the internet mad again!

The same old story—the Dodgers being the enemy clan, having signed another big market player, Edwin Diaz. The internet responded right on cue with major lash-back and finger-pointing about how the Dodgers are the evil empire of baseball and bad for the sport. This time, the target is Diaz, and while the whining is predictable, the frustration seems misplaced, to say the least.

Yes, Diaz landed a three-year $69 million deal, and that’s serious money for a reliever. But it’s not like the Dodgers have keys to some forbidden locker—every team had the chance to compete, but most didn’t. Plus, the contract details have just dropped, and the Mets won’t be happy about it.

The deal includes $13.5 million in deferred money. That’s it. No Shohei Ohtani-level deferral that would require major accounting magic. Deferred money is common in baseball, but it somehow becomes a major issue when the Dodgers do it.

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However, what sent people spiraling was actually the $6.5 million team option for 2029. On paper, it looks relatively cheap for Diaz’s caliber. But that is also conditional and tied to the player’s health and performance. Plus, this is the cost of joining a team that’s on a championship run every season.

Is this bad for baseball? Not really close. If the Mets are angry, then the frustration should not be west. This is because Diaz is open to returning to New York, but they were the ones who didn’t use the resources they have or beat the deal.

The LA Dodgers didn’t break the system; they used it efficiently.