Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the oddly timed end of Derek Falvey’s rein as POBOth for the Twins, Jacob Wilson ’s extension and the promising but lopsided A’s, pillow contracts vs. trampoline contracts, which teams have had the most frustrating offseasons, dark-horse-candidate teams for 2026, and listener responses to their previous discussion of a Fellowship of the Ring baseball team. Audio intro : Daniel Leckie, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Ted O., “ Effectively Wild Th...
Jan 31, 2026•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their coming deliverance from a slow baseball news period, spring training as a spectator experience, and how the prelude to Opening Day has changed, then (12:43) answer emails about the many meanings of “back end” in baseball, an outfielder who repels batted balls, whether all rule violations constitute cheating, a playoff team composed of spoilers, and which positions the members of the Fellowship of the Ring would play, followed (1:16:01) by a Stat Bl...
Jan 29, 2026•1 hr 41 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley share their responses—and the baseball world’s response—to the events of this month in Minnesota. Then (17:26) they banter about deboned Carlos Rodón , the latest pseudoscientific pursuits of Bryce Harper (and Mike Trout ?), and the Giants signing Harrison Bader , before (48:06) discussing José Ramírez’ s new extension with the Guardians, Andrew McCutchen ’s quarrel with the Pirates, and what teams and star players owe to each other, if anything. Finally (1:26:22), t...
Jan 28, 2026•1 hr 48 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the MacKenzie Gore trade, the trajectories of the Rangers and Nationals since their respective World Series victories, and why the White Sox signed Seranthony Domínguez . Then (29:38) they bring on baseball buds Brent Rooker and Vinnie Pasquantino for a wide-ranging conversation about their scrapped podcasting plans, the Royals remodeling Kauffman Stadium, how Sutter Health Park played, the good and bad of bat-speed training, the challenge system, Brent’...
Jan 24, 2026•1 hr 49 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the best point in the podcast at which to talk transactions, how a salary cap would affect the kind of conversations we have about baseball (based on the way we discuss other sports), the notion that a particular signing would drive owners to pursue a salary cap, and (25:09) whether a fielder’s proclivity for diving catches tells us anything about how good he is (inspired by the belief that Andruw Jones never had to dive). Then (44:32) they break down th...
Jan 23, 2026•1 hr 53 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ha-Seong Kim and the perils of slipping on ice, the contrasting retirement comments of Mookie Betts and Rich Hill , more on the Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette signings, Goodhart’s law and baseball stats, the late Wilbur Wood , and the latest trends in Hall of Fame voting. Audio intro : Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “ Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic) ” Audio outro : Sam Chess, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to Kim story Link to MLBTR on Kim Link to ...
Jan 21, 2026•1 hr 35 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a flurry of transactions and a three-team-trade dilemma, then break down the J.T. Realmuto , Bo Bichette , and Kyle Tucker deals, plus talk of baseball economics and Emmanuel Clase ’s roosters. Audio intro : Moon Hound, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Nate Emerson, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to FG post on Castro Link to MLBTR on three-team trade Link to Passan on Tucker Link to Passan on three-team trade Link to two buttons meme Link to Pas...
Jan 17, 2026•1 hr 52 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley analyze the latest additions to the AL East: Ryan Weathers to the Yankees and Ranger Suárez to the Red Sox. Then (26:52) they bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Jon Norton to answer listener emails about players who’ve repeatedly signed one-year contracts, whether they would want to play in an MLB game, how impressive switch-hitting should be, WAR without players who took PEDs, and the all-time greatness of Star Trek legend Buck Bokai. Audio intro : Xavier LeBlanc, ...
Jan 16, 2026•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down the Cubs’ big Alex Bregman signing, Nolan Arenado ’s trade to Arizona, Kauffman Stadium’s soon-to-be-cozier confines, and a former GM’s dismissal of advanced stats, plus a few follow-ups. Audio intro : Josh Busman, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Ian H., “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to Andrews on Bregman Link to Baumann on Bregman Link to Langs on draftees Link to Montgomery on Boras Link to Kennedy comments Link to Sheehan on the Sox Link to T...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 41 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a breakup of baseball lookalikes, minor league free agent draft eligibility, and more players who unretired after becoming coaches, then break down the latest baseball broadcasting developments, Rob Manfred’s recent comments (about his priorities and future, an offseason signing deadline, and regular-season structure), Tarik Skubal ’s historic arbitration case, and, inspired by sensational hockey streaming series Heated Rivalry (which they discuss withou...
Jan 10, 2026•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how the on-ramp for learning about sports analytics has changed since they were students, follow up on players who unretired after becoming coaches, break down the Edward Cabrera trade (and the Michael Lorenzen signing), and then discuss the remaining top-10 free agents ( Kyle Tucker , Alex Bregman , Framber Valdez , Cody Bellinger , Bo Bichette , and Ranger Suárez ) from three perspectives: where they’d have the biggest impact, where would be most fun f...
Jan 09, 2026•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Daniel Vogelbach becoming a Brewers hitting coach and coach-hiring trends, analyze and phact-check Tommy Pham ’s pitch for “PhamGraphs,” react to the Kazuma Okamoto signing and the Blue Jays embracing their big-market potential (in contrast to the Giants), and take the temperature of the pretty tepid stove (phollowed by a phollow-up on Pham). Audio intro : The Spaghettis, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Ian Phillips, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” L...
Jan 07, 2026•1 hr 45 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Ben Clemens banter about the Astros signing Tatsuya Imai to a smaller-than-expected deal. Then (18:20) they continue a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the 13th 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 2025 (followed by a postscript at 1:31:23). Audio intro : Cory Brent, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio o...
Jan 03, 2026•1 hr 46 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the potential risk to sports prediction markets pose and then (24:00) discuss at least one listener-nominated topic about each American League team that wasn’t previously covered on the show in 2025. Audio intro : Justin Peters, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Ted O., “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to MLBTR on Rendon Link to Bloomberg on prediction markets Link to The Athletic on prediction markets Link to FoS on the Blackhawks Link to story ab...
Dec 31, 2025
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a smattering of recent transactions and then (20:17) discuss at least one listener-nominated topic about each National League team that wasn’t previously covered on the podcast in 2025. Audio intro : Luke Lillard, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Sean .P, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to MLB.com on Soderstrom Link to MLBTR on Soderstrom Link to MLBTR on Refsnyder Link to The Athletic on Refsnyder Link to “the grink” tweet Link to Fowler SABR bi...
Dec 30, 2025
Ben Lindbergh talks to two pitchers who topped out at Triple-A in 2025, which was a demotion for one and a promotion for the other. First, he brings back Rangers pitcher Declan Cronin , the only major leaguer alum of Ben’s high school, to discuss a setback of a season that included a mysterious hip injury, compromised mechanics, diminished stuff, a cutthroat release and, finally, Tommy John surgery. Along the way, they cover the urge to play through injuries, joining the Rangers after being unce...
Dec 26, 2025•2 hr 2 min
Ben Lindbergh, Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus , and Joe Sheehan of The Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter break down teams’ last-minute Christmas shopping—including the White Sox signing Munetaka Murakami , the Padres signing Michael King and Sung Mun Song , the Orioles trading for Shane Baz , the Red Sox trading for Willson Contreras , a three-team trade involving the Pirates, Rays, and Astros, Jeff McNeil and Matt Strahm swaps, and the Yankees’ hibernation—plus banter about the quasi-reti...
Dec 24, 2025•2 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh brings on ESPN senior MLB insider Jeff Passan to discuss the ins and outs of the newsbreaking business—how he reports and announces news, how newsbreaking in baseball differs from newsbreaking in other sports, conflicts of interest, the ills of social media, work-life balance, aging, his flirtation with switching to the basketball beat, and more—plus Jeff’s thoughts on ESPN’s relationship with MLB, the biggest surprises and questions of this hot stove season, and the outlook for a ...
Dec 22, 2025•1 hr 39 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about an “oppo taco” mention in Wake Up Dead Man , a run on free-agent relievers and the lack of late-inning options remaining on the market, when big free agents actually tend to sign, the Nationals’ youth movement in the front office and on the coaching staff, and the stacked USA WBC pitching staff, plus follow-ups on several subjects. Audio intro : Ian H., “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Liz Panella, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to Rian Johnson ...
Dec 19, 2025
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Ha-Seong Kim , Adrian Houser , and Foster Griffin signings, a prospect-for-prospect Red Sox and Nationals trade, and the Twins’ partial sale, then (34:00) answer emails about saying “pitchoff” instead of “first pitch,” the value of a cool nickname, a Hall of Fame reference in The Wizard of Oz , whether teams value batter performance against elite pitching, protesting ball/strike calls from the dugout, keeping Pete Rose out of the Hall, a running star...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 40 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a smattering of transactions, featuring (among others) Jorge Polanco , Tyler Rogers , Kenley Jansen , Isaac Collins , Angel Zerpa , Merrill Kelly , Josh Bell , and Adolis García . Then (49:03) they talk about MLB’s move to regulate and standardize the use of in-game technology across the minor leagues, baseball content (sans spoilers!) in new Netflix films Wake Up Dead Man and A House of Dynamite (1:04:50), and MLB players who could come out of retiremen...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr 39 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Garrett Stubbs and the latest example of eyebrow-raising off-the-field Phillies behavior (content warning: adult breast milk consumption), then (14:58) discuss the Pete Alonso signing from the Orioles’ and Mets’ perspectives, Stat Blast (47:09) about teams losing long-tenured/productive players and rapid roster turnover among title winners, and recap (1:05:25) a smattering of transactions to put a bow on the week of Winter Meetings. Audio intro : Tom Rho...
Dec 13, 2025•1 hr 28 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down Scott Boras’s Winter Meetings wordplay and discuss the Kyle Schwarber and Edwin Díaz deals, a smattering of starting-pitcher signings, the Pirates as supposed spenders, the latest on the Ippei Mizuhara TV series, a Lane Kiffin canine conspiracy, and a Johanfran Garcia nickname. Audio intro : El Warren, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Guy Russo, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to Boras on EW Link to Boras on Imai Link to Boras on Suárez Link to Bor...
Dec 10, 2025•1 hr 33 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley deliver a correction to the preceding episode’s draft results, ponder the mystery of a bigger John Brebbia fan than Ben, remind listeners to sign up for EW Secret Santa, and banter about Sonny Gray , Brian Cashman, and gloriously nonsensical sports beefs, Bryce Harper’ s ozone therapy, two trades centered on blocked prospects, and Jeff Kent ’s Cooperstown induction. Audio intro : Sean .P, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : The Gagnés, “ Effectively Wild Theme ”...
Dec 09, 2025•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and podcast scorekeeper Chris Hanel review the results of an under-25-pitchers draft Ben and Sam conducted a decade ago. Then (13:38) Ben and Sam banter about Ben’s physique, answer listener emails about doing a The Only Rule -style experiment 10 years later, discuss Sam’s revamped, unique approach to writing about baseball this year, and consider some possibilities for what we’ll remember about baseball in 2025. After that (1:05:57), Ben continues the sporadic “Baseba...
Dec 05, 2025•2 hr 12 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the John Brebbia and Devin Williams signings (in that order, obviously), share a few follow-ups, and (31:33) assess whether each team satisfied its season preview guest’s conditions for a successful year. Then (58:18) they answer emails about the origins of the concept of the “opposite field,” the meaning of the word “whiff,” how to refer to offseasons, whether umpires practice throwing, how much stock to place in regular-season wins without an accompany...
Dec 03, 2025•1 hr 45 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley respond to the responses to their response to a recent listener email, discuss (14:38) the Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease deal (including a Stat Blast about pitchers with big ERA-FIP gaps at 34:11), Anthony Rendon ’s potential retirement (47:23), and the Orioles’ Ryan Helsley signing (1:05:37), before scrutinizing ESPN’s annual offseason survey of MLB executives (1:15:53). Audio intro : Andy Ellison, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Luke Lillard, “ Effectively Wild T...
Dec 02, 2025•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Becca Balton to banter about Becca’s baseball background, her origins as a listener, and the Nationals’ new direction, then (17:51) answer emails about a team WAR cap, an extra-innings variant in which the team to score fastest wins, manager close-ups on postseason broadcasts, citing the stats of a particular pitch, a pitch-based skills competition, and the “corners” of the strike zone, followed (1:09:33) by Stat Blasts about posts...
Nov 27, 2025•1 hr 51 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Red Sox-Cardinals trade involving Sonny Gray and take Hal Steinbrenner to task for his comments about the Yankees not being profitable, then (37:00) talk to Jay Jaffe about the big issues surrounding this year’s (and upcoming years’) BBWAA and Era Committee Hall of Fame ballots. Audio intro : Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio interstitial : Grant Brisbee, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Moon Hound, “ Effectiv...
Nov 26, 2025•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Warren Schaeffer staying on as Rockies manager, the Mets’ and Rangers’ Brandon Nimmo – Marcus Semien swap, and their memories, thoughts, and feelings concerning Alex Rodriguez , inspired by the new, three-part HBO docuseries Alex vs. A-Rod . Then (58:35) they talk to the co-directors/EPs of Alex vs. A-Rod , Gotham Chopra and Erik LeDrew, about how the docuseries sausage was made and their insights into A-Rod’s psyche. Audio intro : Jonathan Crymes, “ Eff...
Nov 25, 2025•1 hr 38 min
