With this year’s MLB free agent market enlivened by international players, Ben Lindbergh talks to three guests about three baseball-rich countries. First, Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency joins to discuss the response in South Korea to Jung Hoo Lee 이정후’ s signing, Shin-Soo Choo 추신수 ’s forthcoming retirement, the legendary career of Choi Dong-won , and the ongoing reckoning with bullying in the KBO and Korean culture at large. Then (44:21) Ben talks to NPB historian Rob Fitts about trailblazin...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 44 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens continue a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the 11th 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 2024. Audio intro : Alex Ferrin, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Harold Walker, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to list of minor league FA Link to Down on the Farm explainer Link t...
Dec 25, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Ben Lindbergh and Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Craig Goldstein discuss all the fallout from the Dodgers’ record-breaking signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto , including how it affects fan perceptions of the Dodgers, whether it’s good for MLB to have a heel, whether there’s a more virtuous way to win, the terms of the contract and their expectations for Yamamoto, whether the Dodgers will make even more moves, the impact on the teams that missed out on Yamamoto, and much more. Audio intro : Alex ...
Dec 23, 2023•1 hr 34 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether MLB should implement an NHL-esque holiday transaction freeze, then (5:53) answer listener emails about Bryce Harper , Shohei Ohtani , Tyler Glasnow , and tampering, abandoning the Angels, what to do after visiting every MLB and MiLB ballpark, when the last-place finishers of 2023 will be 90-win true-talent teams, “prep” prospects, valuing a player with a knack for inspirational speeches, and applying a college-football-style playoff-selection pro...
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr 48 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, FanGraphs’ Michael Baumann and Ben Clemens , and Chris Hanel play a quick round of “College Baseball Player or U.S. Space Shuttle Astronaut,” banter about the Braves’ series of recent, red-paper-clip-style trades (5:21) and the Diamondbacks re-signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (14:13), and then revisit, dissect, and score their bold preseason predictions from March (16:22). Audio intro : Tom Rhoads, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Gabriel-Ernest, “ Effectively Wild ...
Dec 19, 2023•1 hr 22 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani’ s introductory press conference and getting closure on contract/canine questions, the audience verdict on how to handle Ohtani in the free-agent-contract over/under draft (20:22), the Dodgers-Rays Tyler Glasnow trade (32:09), the latest Royals signings ( Michael Wacha , Hunter Renfroe ), the Tigers adding Jack Flaherty , and the AL Central, Max Scherzer , Tyler Mahle , and the Rangers rotation, and Buster Posey ’s comments about free agent...
Dec 16, 2023•1 hr 32 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley call for a listener referendum on how to treat Shohei Ohtani ’s unprecedented contract in the EW free-agent-contract over/under draft, then (20:43) banter about the Royals’ recent pitching additions and a wizardly Will Smith . After that (33:32), they talk to FanGraphs lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen about the players from Asian leagues who have enlivened the MLB free-agent market (including reports on new Giants addition Jung Hoo Lee 이정후 , Yoshinobu Yamamoto ...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the implications of Shohei Ohtani ’s unprecedentedly deferred contract structure, whether the Ohtani signing and Juan Soto trade portend MLB imbalance driven by the bursting cable bundle (21:42), whether the Dodgers will ever be bad again (28:06), media hang-wringing over Friday’s false reports (35:58), and the Tyler O’Neill trade (42:57). Then they talk to John DeMarsico , SNY Mets game director and cinephile, about how he’s applied his affinity for fil...
Dec 12, 2023•1 hr 49 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley react to Shohei Ohtani signing a titanic 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers, covering every aspect of the news. Then (57:07) they recount the even-funnier-in-retrospect rumor-related frothing on Friday, when it briefly looked like Ohtani was en route to Toronto to become a Blue Jay. Audio intro : Nate Emerson, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “ Effectively Wild Theme (Horny) ” Link to Ohtani’s Insta post Link to D...
Dec 10, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a lackluster punning performance by Scott Boras at the Winter Meetings, then (12:03) dissect the momentous trade of a big Boras client, Juan Soto , from both the Yankees’ and Padres’ perspectives. After that (1:04:00), they discuss Eduardo Rodríguez bolstering the Diamondbacks’ rotation, Jeimer Candelario joining the Reds’ overcrowded infield (1:10:00), how worried Cardinals manager Oli Marmol should be about Yadier Molina ‘s new job (1:20:18), and Bryce...
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 40 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley (at the Winter Meetings in Nashville) banter about how the secrecy surrounding Shohei Ohtani’ s free agency is breaking baseball media members’ brains, what makes free agency fun for fans, the advisability of a winter transaction deadline and whether it’s OK for baseball to just be boring sometimes, and the latest ridiculous dot-connecting about Ohtani’s destination, plus (41:50) discussion of the Winter Meetings milieu, the Jarred Kelenic swap (43:55) and what it me...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and top-tier Patreon supporter Kevin Peskuric banter about and quantify the difference between the receptions to an @MLB tweet about a Shohei Ohtani cat encounter and an @Yankees tweet about Henry Kissinger. Then (18:48) they talk about Kevin’s background as a baseball fan and EW listener, answer listener emails (32:13) about whether facing only bad hitters could get a pitcher to the Hall of Fame, activating a five-second pitch clock once per game, a team-wide Freaky F...
Dec 02, 2023•1 hr 49 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about listeners’ end-of-year podcast stats, the reported “progress” in Padres-Yankees trade talks concerning Juan Soto , some recent Reds and Mets moves, a possible extension for Brewers prospect Jackson Chourio and the track record of extensions signed before a player’s MLB debut, and several end-of-season MLB awards (past and present) that you may not have heard of. Then (50:07) they talk to FanGraphs senior writer and The Cooperstown Casebook author Jay Jaf...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 40 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Eugenio Suárez trade and the Mariners’ payroll, the Cardinals signing Sonny Gray , the Tigers signing Kenta Maeda , the Dodgers re-signing Jason Heyward , and whether an outfielder can be said to “pick it.” Then (50:07) they follow up on listener responses to their latest email episode, focusing on suggestions for introducing turnovers to baseball. Audio intro : Liz Panella, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Alex Ferrin, “ Effectively Wild The...
Nov 29, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh talks to Portia, proprietor of super-popular Shohei Ohtani fan account @shoheisaveus , about her Ohtani superfan origin story, life as a self-described “Shobae,” Ohtani’s popularity compared to other athletes and celebrities, following Ohtani from 15 time zones away, stanning a private person, the many mysteries of Ohtani, where the Shobaes would prefer for Ohtani to sign, and more. Then (1:09:03) Ben brings on baseball researcher and writer Sam Gazdziak of RIP Baseball to discuss ...
Nov 26, 2023•1 hr 50 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the proper pluralization of “POBO,” then (7:12) answer listener emails about baseball with a five-second pitch clock, how long fans will continue to boo pickoff attempts, what it would take for a team to pay a particular fan to attend (or not attend) its games, Freddie Freeman ’s base stealing, bringing turnovers to baseball, clubs that could achieve “perfectly average success” in the 30-team era, the limits of fan tolerance for playoff expansion, a prop...
Nov 23, 2023•1 hr 48 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Phillies re-signing Aaron Nola , the Braves signing Reynaldo López , trading for Aaron Bummer , and rearranging their roster, the Cardinals signing Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson , the Padres hiring Mike Shildt, Shohei Ohtani swearing teams to secrecy about his free-agent visits, and NHK’s Ohtani documentaries. Then (53:16) they talk to Vanessa Ivy Rose , host of six-part podcast Reclaimed: The Forgotten League and author of Hall of Fame DNA: The Legacy ...
Nov 22, 2023•1 hr 39 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the possible significance of this year’s unanimous award votes, the public unveiling of Shohei Ohtani ’s dog, what they learned (and didn’t learn) from the new ESPN documentary Shohei Ohtani: Beyond the Dream (21:42), and where they’d prefer for Ohtani to sign (1:01:16). Then (1:10:42) they conduct the ninth EW free-agent-contract over/under draft. Audio intro : Gabriel-Ernest, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : The Gagnés, “ Effectively Wild Theme...
Nov 18, 2023•1 hr 44 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss MLB owners unanimously approving the Athletics’ move to Las Vegas, new time-saving measures slated for 2024, the respective salaries of David Stearns and Craig Counsell, and private flights as a potential perk to entice MLB free agents, then examine an upstart Dubai-based baseball league called Baseball United (55:07) and bring on Washington Post sportswriter Rick Maese (1:05:46) to explain how the league is the latest reflection of a massive Middle Eastern i...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a low-suspense awards week, the vastly varying paths to being a major league manager, the latest sign of the Angels player-development apocalypse, Brian Cashman on Giancarlo Stanton , the death of Padres owner Peter Seidler, Michael Jordan’s baseball career on For All Mankind , how much holding runners matters, and how to judge how many championships a franchise “should” have won, then Stat Blast (1:08:56) about postseason baserunning, scoring first in O...
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 34 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about norovirus derailing the GM meetings, leftover Boras quotes, and the baseball players deemed sexiest by People magazine, Stat Blast (18:47) about a possible bunting comeback and whether age is correlated with pitch-clock violations, and then (43:39) talk to FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens about the free-agent market and his ranking of the top 50 free agents. Audio intro : Josh Busman, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Liz Panella, “ Effectively Wild T...
Nov 10, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s experience covering the GM meetings and broadcasting an AFL game, with an emphasis on Brian Cashman’s testy exchanges with reporters, Meg’s interaction with Jerry Dipoto, and Scott Boras’s wordplay, plus listener emails (1:01:04) about “electing” free agency, whether the pitch clock has lowered the average age of baseball spectators, when fans started wearing sports jerseys, and possible successors to Baseball Twitter. Audio intro : Benny and a Mil...
Nov 09, 2023
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether whether they’d watch the winning team celebrate if they lost the World Series, then (17:09) discuss a trio of managerial moves (the Cubs poaching Craig Counsell from the Brewers, the Guardians hiring Stephen Vogt, and the Mets hiring Carlos Mendoza), the Marlins hiring the Rays’ GM, and what the Padres declining Michael Wacha ’s option says about a Juan Soto trade, plus (1:04:30) some consideration of whether an-season tournament like the NBA’s m...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the difficulty of watching Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the Japan Series, the last time an MLB pitcher threw as many as 138 pitches in a game, their hopes for Joey Votto ’s next act, and the Brewers trading Mark Canha to the Tigers, then (32:13) answer listener emails about Silver Slugging Gold Glovers, pitching a perfect game in a time loop, whether the Rockies will win a championship before one of the next expansion teams does, a playoff lottery system, and h...
Nov 05, 2023•1 hr 48 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about which MLB franchise will win its first championship next, the postseason “second-chance issue,” Clayton Kershaw’ s shoulder surgery and other Dodgers decisions, a change in Astros primary catchers, the Braves re-signing Joe Jiménez , and Nelson Cruz ’s career and retirement, then (1:05:20) discuss the stories they’re most interested in following this winter. Audio intro : Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Ian Philli...
Nov 04, 2023•1 hr 35 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s experience covering the World Series in Arizona, then discuss the most interesting aspects of the series, what (if anything) teams could learn from the Rangers’ success, the futures of the Rangers and Diamondbacks, the entertainment value of the 2023 playoffs, and much more. Audio intro : Alex Ferrin, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Ian H., “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to Eovaldi interview transcript Link to Seinfeld car smell Link to B...
Nov 03, 2023
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about saying the wrong episode number in the intro to Episode 2077 and the definition of a title drought, then answer listener emails (18:45) about whether it would make sense to choose a bye in the playoffs if your opponent got to draft a player from the team it defeated, letting a non-playoff team into the playoffs via a lottery, a lineup set by the opposing team’s manager, a NOBLETIGER technicality, placing trampolines on the field, tagging a runner on an o...
Oct 28, 2023•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the end of the NLCS, discuss the discourse surrounding the improbability of and fallout from the Diamondbacks-Rangers World Series matchup, banter about the Brewers always losing in the playoffs to eventual pennant winners, preview the World Series, postulate a conspiracy surrounding this postseason’s lack of extra-inning games, and react to the Red Sox hiring ex-pitcher Craig Breslow as their new Chief Baseball Officer/POBO, then (54:14) Stat Blast abou...
Oct 27, 2023•1 hr 44 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss assorted ALCS and NLCS action and playoff takeaways and trends, with an emphasis on Adolis García’ s heroics, the Rangers vanquishing the Astros, MLB’s handling of Bryan Abreu’ s suspension, and Craig Kimbrel ’s career (plus reactions to the Giants hiring Bob Melvin as their manager). Audio intro : The Shirey Brothers, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Gabriel-Ernest, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to García/Abreu video Link to Garver/Abreu video Link...
Oct 25, 2023•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about ALCS and NLCS action, the definition of an “unanswered run,” and a forthcoming documentary about Shohei Ohtani , then (51:16) answer listener emails about a playoff hot-hand theory, how bad an underdog would have to be for a postseason upset to shock them, and a pitcher with two right hands, plus a Stat Blast (1:20:57) about the least and most exciting postseasons ever and a follow-up (1:38:42) about Friday’s games. Audio intro : The Gagnés, “ Effectivel...
Oct 21, 2023•1 hr 42 min
