Sometimes, seeing is believing. You can certainly say that much about our nominees for MLB.com’s Greatness in Baseball Yearly (GIBBY) Award for Play of the Year, a collection of highlight-reel dives and stops and grabs that made your jaw drop this season.

Barring something unforeseen, Samurai Japan pitcher Shohei Ohtani of the Nippon-Ham Fighters will be a big leaguer someday. He could become a superstar. The only question is when.

The assembled team of MLB All-Stars ended the official Japan All-Star Series on a high note Tuesday, beating Samurai Japan, 3-1, behind the strong right arm of the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker.

The MLB All-Stars will end their tour with an exhibition match against Japan’s national team on Thursday in Okinawa at 6 p.m. JT (4 a.m. ET) on MLB Network and MLB.TV.

The Blue Jays took the baseball world by surprise on Monday morning when it was learned they had agreed to terms with free-agent catcher Russell Martin on a five-year contract, and on Tuesday they formally announced the signing of the three-time All-Star.

This offseason, the free-agent group of position players is weaker overall than it was a year ago, and the overriding feeling within the industry is that teams will look to improve via trades while waiting for the price tags of those available on the open market to settle in. With that information as the backdrop, here are top 10 rankings of available free-agent position players, including predicted contracts and likeliest suitors.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria left Tuesday’s Japan Series game as a precaution after being hit by a pitch in Game 5. Doctors diagnosed Longoria with a bruise, and he did not undergo any further testing at the Sapporo Dome.

Jose Altuve began the Japan All-Star Series on the bench, but he finished it as one of the MLB All-Stars’ hottest hitters.

The MLB.com Gift Guru is back to guide you through the hectic holiday gift-giving season. With four out of every five shoppers getting started before Thanksgiving, let’s begin with a three-day sale, good for 10 percent off one item and 25 percent off two or more items.

Two years after his club traded away the veteran core of its roster as it settled into Marlins Park, Giancarlo Stanton is committing at least the next six years — including his first four years of free agency eligibility — to stay with Miami and its very promising future, writes columnist Phil Rogers.

Needing to fill an unexpected hole in right field for 2015, the Cardinals went for a big splash, acquiring outfielder Jason Heyward from the Braves along with right-handed reliever Jordan Walden. The cost was heavy, however, as the Cardinals sent a pair of former first-round Draft picks — right-handers Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins — to Atlanta to complete the four-player trade on Monday.

The Braves announced Monday afternoon that they had traded right fielder Jason Heyward and righty reliever Jordan Walden to the Cardinals in exchange for righty starter Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins, a Minor League hurler who possesses definite upside.

The Cubs lost in their bid for catcher Russell Martin. Now, it’s time to turn their attention to free-agent pitcher Jon Lester. Lester was expected to meet with the Cubs this week, according to reports, to consider whether to rejoin president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, who was the left-hander’s general manager in Boston.

The Braves and Cardinals made a four-player trade on Monday that sent outfielder Jason Heyward and late-inning reliever Jordan Walden to St. Louis in exchange for pitchers Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins.

The Tigers announced Monday that they’ve picked up their $5.4 million option on Alex Avila, bypassing his final season of arbitration. The club option was part of the contract that the team and Avila’s agent, Jim Murray, negotiated last winter to avoid arbitration. The Tigers had until Thursday to decide.

The Blue Jays named Brook Jacoby their hitting coach on Monday. The former Reds hitting coach most recently worked as the Rangers’ Minor League assistant hitting coordinator.

Giancarlo Stanton reportedly is on the verge of signing a record-setting 13-year, $325 million contract with the Marlins. The deal, which would be the richest in North American professional sports history, also includes no-trade and opt-out clauses.