PODCAST

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary

sports baseball

All Episodes

1:52:57

Effectively Wild Episode 2430: New York, New York

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/23

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

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1:35:05

Effectively Wild Episode 2429: Retire Rich

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/21

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.Audiointro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)” Audiooutro: Sam Chess, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Kim story Link to

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1:52:19

Effectively Wild Episode 2428: Scalded by the Stove

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/17

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.Audiointro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audiooutro: 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

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1:35:48

Effectively Wild Episode 2427: Holo Victory

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/16

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 Bockai.Audiointro: Xavier

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1:41:22

Effectively Wild Episode 2426: The Hot (Stove) Corner

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/14

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.Audiointro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audiooutro: 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

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1:36:14

Effectively Wild Episode 2425: The Manfred Mantra

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/10

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

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1:37:10

Effectively Wild Episode 2424: The Perfect Fits for...

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/09

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 for

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1:45:23

Effectively Wild Episode 2423: The State of the Stove

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/07

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).Audiointro: The Spaghettis, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audiooutro: Ian Phillips,

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1:46:25

Effectively Wild Episode 2422: The 2026 Minor League...

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2026/01/03

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).Audiointro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild

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Effectively Wild Episode 2421: The Stories We Missed...

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/31

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.Audiointro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audiooutro: 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

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Effectively Wild Episode 2420: The Stories We Missed...

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/30

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.Audiointro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audiooutro: 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”

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2:01:48

Effectively Wild Episode 2419: TJ and TK in Triple-A

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/26

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

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2:16:54

Effectively Wild Episode 2418: The Challenge System...

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/24

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

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1:38:46

Effectively Wild Episode 2417: Just Passan Time

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/22

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

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Effectively Wild Episode 2416: Oh Say Can You WBC

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/19

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.Audiointro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme” Audiooutro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild

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1:40:11

Effectively Wild Episode 2415: Catch if You Can

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/17

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

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1:39:06

Effectively Wild Episode 2414: You Can Go Home Again

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/16

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 retirement

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1:27:42

Effectively Wild Episode 2413: Allons-y, Alonso

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/13

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.Audiointro:

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1:33:18

Effectively Wild Episode 2412: It’s the Most...

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/10

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.Audiointro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audiooutro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Boras on EW Link to Boras on Imai Link to Boras

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1:36:51

Effectively Wild Episode 2411: The Ozone Player

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast ·

2025/12/09

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. Audiointro: Sean .P, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audiooutro: The Gagnés,

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Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

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