Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley recap the conclusion of the Carlos Correa free agency saga, breaking down his new, actually finalized contract with the Twins, reviewing his offseason odyssey, and trying to anticipate his future. Then (28:20) they banter about Trevor Story ’s elbow surgery, the Blue Jays’ and Marlins’ signings of Brandon Belt and Johnny Cueto , respectively (and Belt’s thoughts on chicken tenders), the Tigers moving in and lowering the fences at Comerica Park, and ballplayers’ belts...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 46 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a Roger Angell-identified way in which baseball is different from other sports, discuss the Mariners signing AJ Pollock and the Phillies trading for Gregory Soto , and respond to the Dodgers cutting ties with Trevor Bauer , MLB reinstating former Braves GM John Coppolella, and KBO ace An Woo-jin not being rostered on South Korea’s WBC squad, plus musings on the competitive advantage of preventing leaks and a Past Blast from 1953. Then (42:42) they talk t...
Jan 10, 2023•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and longtime listener and Patreon supporter Jacob Barak banter about Jacob’s baseball-fan background, EW origin story, and much-discussed post about a Shohei Ohtani conundrum in the podcast’s Facebook group, then (10:35) answer listener emails about why we use dashes instead of slashes in displaying hitter’s hits and at-bats, unorthodox infield designs, where the money from competitive balance tax penalties goes, an Aaron Boone quote about “a championship and then some...
Jan 07, 2023•1 hr 54 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the Red Sox signing Rafael Devers to a lengthy extension, the state of the Sox, the next two free-agent classes, and Carlos Baerga the newsbreaker, then banter about bad news for Charles Leblanc , a Congressional baseball analogy, the Sears/Willis Tower, a painful slide by a broadcaster, the Dodgers’ offseason, and redefining the pitcher win, plus a Past Blast from 1951. Audio intro : Greg Camp, “ The Armageddon Slide ” Audio outro : Bobby Thomson, “ Because ...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 23 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Hall of Famer Jim Palmer ‘s endorsement of Netflix series Emily in Paris , a questionable Cubs-related baseball scene in the EiP series premiere, a Royals rookie record and a follow-up on Harold Ramírez ’s hair, Ben’s latest former major leaguer Facebook friend recommendations, another way in which baseball is unique (or at least highly unusual) among major sports, defenders “taking away” hits from batters, the plateau in MLB’s percentage of internationa...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley close the book on 2022 by bantering about the year in Effectively Wild, the Marlins signing Jean Segura , the heretofore-unsuspected existence of Charles Leblanc , and the pitch-calling accuracy of 10 retiring umpires, plus followups on how the zombie runner affects plate appearance totals, Lars Nootbaar ’s pepper grinder, the year-to-year consistency of team replay-review success rates, and overlooked Rockies stories. Then (38:51) they discuss at least one listener-...
Dec 31, 2022•1 hr 52 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens continue a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the 10th annual Effectively Wild Minor League Free Agent Draft, in which they select 10 minor league free agents each and compete to see whose roster will accumulate the most combined MLB playing time in 2023. First they explain the history and ground rules of the draft, and then they start making their selections (18:11), followed by a Past Blast (1:20:02) from 1948. Audio intro : Gr...
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Carlos Correa ’s contract limbo, the Pirates signing Rich Hill , the Rangers signing Nathan Eovaldi , the Red Sox signing Corey Kluber , the Blue Jays trading Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Diamondbacks for Daulton Varsho , the Braves extending Sean Murphy , and the Phillies signing Craig Kimbrel . Then (39:51) they discuss at least one listener-nominated topic about each National League team that they had previously overlooked on the podc...
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 51 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest Carlos Correa -related reporting, the Giants’ signings of Michael Conforto and Taylor Rogers , the hijinks potential of twin teammates Taylor and Tyler Rogers , the final results of the free-agent-contract over/under draft, their cautious optimism about the Angels (28:35), the Reds’ spending constraints (39:19), owners complaining about Steve Cohen, how it feels for fans when a team’s identity changes, and Trevor Bauer ’s reinstatement from th...
Dec 24, 2022•1 hr 42 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down every incredible angle of the biggest twist of the MLB offseason: free agent Carlos Correa ’s overnight pivot from a 13-year agreement with the San Francisco Giants to a 12-year deal with the New York Mets. After their incredulous Correa reactions, they close with a few thoughts on the Pirates’ latest innovation in the realm of announcing signings (this one involving Austin Hedges ), Aaron Judge and the Yankees’ captaincy, and their intention to talk about...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the differences, if any, between a two-year deal with an opt out after the first year and a one-year deal with a player option for a second year, then discuss the Dansby Swanson signing, the destinations of the winter’s top four shortstops, and the state of the Cubs, the spending of the White Sox, the AL Central, and the trajectories of Andrew Benintendi and Joey Gallo , Atlanta depending on Vaughn Grissom to replace Swanson at shortstop, the Dodgers and...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Yankees signing Carlos Rodón , Rodón’s recent trajectory and future, New York teams at the top of the payroll leaderboard and starting-pitcher projections, the career of the late Curt Simmons , and the perfect pace of this offseason. Then (31:06) they answer listener emails about the best players to pick for a snowball fight, using the same baseball throughout a game, Steve Cohen and sportswashing, persuading Pirates owner Bob Nutting to spend, Nutti...
Dec 17, 2022•1 hr 40 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Pirates’ Vince Velasquez hype video, a “mutant option” for Cody Bellinger , and a Francisco Rodríguez -only Hall of Fame ballot, then (22:09) discuss Carlos Correa ’s 13-year contract with the Giants and its implications for the NL West, the Twins and Cubs, and the future of old-player production, along with musings on the state of the Dodgers’ rotation after their signing of Noah Syndergaard . After that (51:24), FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens joins t...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 32 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the two teams at the top and bottom, respectively, of the MLB payroll hierarchy, the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics, touching on the Mets’ signings of Brandon Nimmo , Kodai Senga , and David Robertson , the A’s trading away Sean Murphy , and what a vast disparity in spending does and doesn’t signify for MLB’s competitive balance. They also banter about the other teams’ ends of that three-team trade, the state of the NL East, the Giants’ starting-pitcher ...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their AI chatbot counterparts, then discuss the ramifications of the Padres signing Xander Bogaerts (12:58), the significance of the Red Sox losing Bogaerts and the trend toward very long-term contracts (51:26), and a report about multiple models of the baseball being used during the 2022 season (1:19:59), plus updates and a Past Blast from 1940 (1:49:43). Audio intro : Pixies, “ Get Simulated ” Audio outro : Parker Gispert, “ Life in the Goldilocks Zone...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 58 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down the rest of the action from the Winter Meetings, including Arson Judge not signing with the Giants, Aaron Judge re-signing with the Yankees, the Padres missing out on Judge and Trea Turner , the Dodgers’ lack of interest in Carlos Correa , the Giants signing Mitch Haniger , the Cardinals signing Willson Contreras , the Cubs signing Jameson Taillon and Cody Bellinger , the going rate for mid-rotation starters, the Phillies signing Taijuan Walker and Matt St...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 38 min
With Meg Rowley on the IL, Ben Lindbergh and FanGraphs author Dan Szymborski discuss the first batch of news from a busy Winter Meetings, including the big-money market as a whole, the blockbuster signings of Jacob deGrom , Justin Verlander , and Trea Turner , the outlooks for the Rangers, Dodgers, and Astros, the Padres’ interest in Turner and its implications for Fernando Tatis Jr. , the genre of rumors about teams that tried to acquire players, the Brewers-Mariners trade involving Kolten Wong...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 53 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s daughter’s first steps, follow up on differentiating players with the same name, equipment replacements, and suggested recreational sports for Ben to play, and then discuss the Royals’ remade coaching staff (19:43), the career of the late, all-time-great Gaylord Perry (22:57), and the latest ESPN Crasnick/Rogers annual offseason MLB insiders survey (44:58), plus answers to listener emails (1:04:33) about an MLB awards ceremony, pitcher wins, and th...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 45 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s latest former major leaguer Facebook friend recommendation and an important update (3:49) to the dictionary.com definition of “ghost runner,” then follow up (17:00) on a previous rumination on free-agent tours by touching on a Carlos Correa comment about playing in Minnesota, Eduardo Escobar ’s deep-seated affection for Fogo de Chão, and the research the Red Sox did on Carl Crawford , before discussing (41:58) the most notable ways in which basebal...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr 51 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their Thanksgivings, Joe Kelly ’s comments (10:29) about free agents’ team visits being “outdated and cheesy,” the Astros signing José Abreu (30:25), and some standout totals (45:17) from the preliminary ZiPS-projected standings for 2023, plus Past Blasts (1:15:48) from 1935. Audio intro : The Shivas, “ If I Could Choose ” Audio outro : Redd Kross, “ Choose to Play ” Link to Kelly’s comments Link to “Avocado Factor” wiki Link to MLBTR FA predictions Link...
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 28 min
Ben Lindbergh convenes a roundtable of hitting analysts— Robert Orr from Baseball Prospectus , Esteban Rivera from FanGraphs, and Ryan Parker , formerly of Baseball Prospectus and the Los Angeles Angels—to diagnose the problems with free agent Cody Bellinger ’s much-diminished bat and recommend how to revive it. They also discuss their approaches to analyzing hitting, coachability, the differences between public and private hitting analysis, the importance of mashing mistakes, the Angels, and mo...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about omissions from their Baseball Twitter draft, a few transactions (including the Kyle Lewis trade, the Gio Urshela trade, and multiple shortstop swaps), the Angels acquiring average players, the Dodgers non-tendering Cody Bellinger , the Phillies extending Dave Dombrowski, the new BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot and Ben’s ballot decision, a series of sports-betting investigations, a college-baseball trailblazer, comeback players of the year, and more, plus Stat ...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 12 min
With the future of Twitter uncertain, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley welcome Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus and Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz of Fox Sports and Céspedes Family BBQ to draft the best tweets and traditions from more than a decade of content on Baseball Twitter (plus a Past Blast from 1932). (Warning/preview: Prepare for somewhat saltier language than usual.) Audio intro : The Rentals, “ Elon Musk is Making Me Sad ” Audio outro : Sparks, “ Here Comes Bob ” Link to list of s...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 50 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about redefining the MVP award, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s unearthed baseball blogs, Billy Beane’s new role with the A’s, and the Braves’ spinoff from Liberty Media, plus a Past Blast from 1931. Then (30:27) they bring on listener and top-tier Patreon supporter Peter Bonney to discuss his baseball background and answer listener emails about baseball economics and the leaguewide effects of low-spending owners, an open-ended player to be named later, batter...
Nov 19, 2022•1 hr 46 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani and the Cy Young Award, Buck Showalter and the Manager of the Year Award, Bryce Harper’ s elbow surgery, the Angels signing Tyler Anderson , Anthony Rizzo and the Yankees’ record Defensive Runs Saved total, the Mariners trading for Teoscar Hernández , title inflation and the “associate manager,” and Royals owner John Sherman requesting a new ballpark, plus a double Past Blast (38:21) from 1930 (featuring Jack Powell ’s meaty demise). Then (...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 51 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Scott Boras’s opinions about postseason pitch clocks and a neutral-site World Series, discuss Meg’s NL Rookie of the Year vote (14:16) and the rookie class, and then conduct two drafts: the eighth free-agent-contract over/under draft (35:37), and the fifth World Series odds movers draft (1:29:46), plus a Past Blast (1:48:40) from 1929 and a postscript. Audio intro : Whitehorse, “ Best Bet ” Audio outro : Aimee Mann, “ Mr. Harris ” Link to Boras’s pitch-c...
Nov 15, 2022
With Meg Rowley off, Ben Lindbergh talks to three guests: James Wagner (4:55) of the New York Times about Scott Boras puns in the paper of record, why players who test positive for PEDs have disproportionately been from the Dominican Republic, and why players wear perfume and cologne on the field; Ian Araujo (41:46) about the origins, appeal, process, and future of his viral TikTok videos about identifying sports games in the backgrounds of movies and TV shows; and Jeff Pearlman (1:20:24) about ...
Nov 12, 2022•2 hr 10 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley share their impressions of HBO’s new feature-length documentary about Willie Mays , Say Hey, Willie Mays! , and reflect on Mays’s career, then (29:23) talk to director Nelson George about the making of the movie, what didn’t make the movie, his interactions with Mays and other legends, and much more, followed (1:04:59) by a postscript and a Past Blast from 1927. Audio intro : The Baseball Project, “ Sometimes I Dream of Willie Mays ” Audio interstitial : Michael Fran...
Nov 08, 2022
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens banter about Game 6 of the World Series, the Series and the playoffs as a whole, Phillies manager Rob Thomson’s decision to pull Zack Wheeler in favor of José Alvarado , Yordan Alvarez’ s titanic dinger, the Astros’ bullpen performance, and Kyle Schwarber’ s bunt attempt, before discussing the Astros’ legacy, the 2022 team vs. the 2017 team, and the “dynasty” debate. Then (45:29) they cover Edwin Díaz ’s extension with the Mets, what th...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley review all of the action from the historic, eventful fourth and fifth games of the World Series, banter about a fan heckling Rob Manfred, and share multiple Past Blasts (33:22) from 1925 (plus a throwback, Philly-centric Past Blast from 1868). Then (50:08) they talk to Baseball Prospectus writer Michael Ajeto about Astros starter Cristian Javier ’s unicorn fastball, the value of vertical approach angle, and the state of pitching analysis, plus a postscript. Audio int...
Nov 05, 2022•1 hr 30 min
