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 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 Tucker rumors

Link to team depth charts

Link to team payrolls

Link to Baumann on Arenado

Link to Passan on Kauffman

Link to Royals announcement tweet

Link to ballpark homogenization

Link to LA Memorial Coliseum info

Link to Statcast park factors

Link to Pasquantino take

Link to Rooker retort

Link to Mack piece at BP

Link to Sam on where to put a pit

Link to Amaro wiki

Link to Amaro tweet 1

Link to Amaro tweet 2

Link to Bichette report

Link to Collins report

Link to stream Stove League

Link to Stove League pods

Link to Sea Unicorns article

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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 without spoilers), when an active MLB player might publicly come out.

Audio outro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLBTR on Fitzgerald

Link to Sojo article

Link to Campbell hiring

Link to TV network news

Link to MLBTR on TV networks

Link to TV network news 2

Link to Entertainment Strategy Guy

Link to streaming revenue info

Link to more on streaming revenue

Link to Manfred on a signing deadline

Link to Rooker tweet

Link to Harper sales article 1

Link to Harper sales article 2

Link to Manfred’s tournament comments

Link to MLBTR on Skubal

Link to The Athletic on Skubal

Link to Passan on Skubal

Link to Ben on arbitration

Link to MLBTR on Kepler

Link to Heated Rivalry

Link to hockey culture article

Link to Outsports article

Link to Take Me Out wiki

Link to EW Episode 1776

Link to Unwritten Rules

Link to Manfred’s diversity comments

Link to Venezuela article

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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 them to sign, and where they will sign.

Audio outro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Rice job listing

Link to Andres class article 1

Link to Andres class article 2

Link to Sabermetrics 101 MOOC

Link to Mota article

Link to Quirk bio

Link to Chambliss bio

Link to “Conformity Gate”

Link to Ben on Mass Effect 3

Link to Baumann on Cabrera

Link to Cabrera pitch values

Link to worst fastballs

Link to Andrews on Lorenzen

Link to FG top 50 FA

Link to Petriello on Tucker

Link to Gelb on Bichette

Link to IF fielding value

Link to team payrolls

Link to team SP depth charts

Link to team positional projections

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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 outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Vogelbach news

Link to Brewers coaching staff

Link to last year’s Vogelbach hiring

Link to Vogelbach promo

Link to article on PhamGraphs

Link to negativity bias wiki

Link to team batting LI

Link to batter opp_DRA-

Link to team batter opp_DRA-

Link to lineup construction study

Link to DRA- explainer

Link to DRC+ explainer

Link to Canha’s BP player card

Link to Pham’s BP player card

Link to August Pham incident

Link to EW Episode 2363

Link to PH PA leaders

Link to Eric on Okamoto

Link to NPB HR since 2019

Link to MLBTR on Okamoto

Link to MLBTR on Takahashi

Link to FG payroll page

Link to FG post on Mahle

Link to team SP projections

Link to FG top 50 FA

Link to Ben on pennant complacency

Link to Harbaugh firing

Link to latest Hang Up and Listen

Link to Albies TikTok

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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 outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to guest appearances sheet

Link to FG post on Imai

Link to MLBTR on Imai

Link to Feinsand tweet

Link to The Athletic on Imai

Link to minor league free agents

Link to MLBTR on MiLB FA

Link to last year’s draft

Link to MiLB FA draft wiki

Link to EWStats page

Link to dynasty FA draft sheet

Link to Brebbia on EW

Link to MLBTR on Baddoo

Link to 2025 MLB average SP

Link to MiLB IP leaders

Link to Can’t Hardly Wait scene

Link to this year’s draftees

Link to first Stathead query

Link to second Stathead query

Link to Boob McNutt

Link to Mutt and Jeff

Link to Gink and Boob

Link to Bucco Bricks tweet

Link to Lile’s Reddit response

Link to MLB.com on Lile

Link to car service jingles

Link to Conjunction Junction

Link to “certain point of view” scene

Link to “Old Ben” clip

Link to Slate on prediction markets

Link to Bloomberg on prediction markets

Link to Sporcle quiz

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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 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 about MLB memo

Link to Slate on prediction markets

Link to Slate on prediction markets 2

Link to Royals stadium story

Link to 1922 article on Fowler

Link to AL stories spreadsheet

Link to Ella Black series

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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 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 bio

Link to 1925 article on Fowler

Link to NL stories spreadsheet

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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 unceremoniously jettisoned by the Marlins, what tearing a UCL feels like, the incentives that lead to elbow problems, Declan’s plan to bounce back from a challenging year, MLB-NWSL romances, and competing with other players for wedding dates. Then (1:05:45), Ben talks to White Sox pitcher/sportswriter Duncan Davitt about becoming a journalist on the side, being on both ends of interviews, being blacked out of baseball broadcasts, the plight and importance of local media, his deceptive delivery, being traded and making a 40-man for the first time, what he has to do to earn a call-up, whether pitchers wear protective cups, and much more.

Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme 2”

Link to “TK” journalism term

Link to MLBTR on Soderstrom

Link to Regis High School wiki

Link to Declan’s first pod appearance

Link to Declan’s second pod appearance

Link to article about baseball weddings

Link to Declan t-shirt

Link to MLBTR on Declan’s TJ

Link to list of TJ surgeries

Link to cascade injury article

Link to MLBTR on Declan’s deal

Link to team RP WPA

Link to team RP WAR

Link to staff page at Tread

Link to Tyler Zombro wiki

Link to Paige Monaghan wiki

Link to Paige’s wedding post

Link to Dansby/Mallory article

Link to Peña/Grosso engagement

Link to Duncan strikeout reel

Link to Register feature on Duncan

Link to Sox Machine feature on Duncan

Link to Duncan’s wedding post

Link to Rays prospect ranking

Link to traded prospects ranking

Link to minor league IP leaders

Link to Ben on deception

Link to Indianola IA website

Link to Indianola wiki

Link to J.D. Scholten appearance

Link to Indianola IA sports page

Link to Duncan’s boys’ basketball article

Link to Duncan’s girls’ basketball article

Link to Duncan on the offseason

Link to Duncan on the trade

Link to Duncan on the 40-man

Link to Duncan on Triple-A

Link to Duncan on big league belief

Link to Laurila’s notes column

Link to Ben on the gap in 2025

Link to Ben on the gap in 2015

Link to Davenport on the gap

Link to MLB.com on Abbott Elementary

Link to Schwarber’s 4-HR game

Link to MLB survey question

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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-retirement of Craig’s nemesis, Joe Kelly, the future of NPB, a report about Emmanuel Clase’s mid-game phone use, and supporting independent media. Then (1:11:40) they conduct an in-depth debate about the respective merits of human umpiring, the challenge system, and full ABS.

Audio outro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Kelly’s podcast

Link to Dubuque on the challenge system

Link to Craig on the challenge system

Link to Joe on the challenge system

Link to previous podcast discussion

Link to Seitz decision wiki

Link to Joe on the Seitz decision

Link to over/under draft results

Link to Baumann on Murakami

Link to Rosenblum on Murakami

Link to Longenhagen on Murakami

Link to Craig on Murakami

Link to Sarris on Murakami

Link to Ben on Murakami in 2022

Link to Sato story

Link to FG post on King

Link to FG post on Song

Link to FG post on Baz

Link to Craig on Baz

Link to team SP projections

Link to Joe on three-team trade

Link to FG post on three-team trade

Link to FG post on Contreras

Link to FG post on Strahm

Link to Strahm’s beer stance

Link to Bowlan info

Link to FG post on McNeil

Link to Lindor/McNeil drama

Link to Clase report

Link to Dylan phone ban

Link to Molina framing montage

Link to framing technique evolution

Link to Molina on EW

Link to Craig on the K-Zone

Link to Tango on challenge tactics

Link to Five and Dive

Link to subscribe to BP

Link to subscribe to Joe

Link to MLBTR on O’Hearn

Link to Posnanski MVP post

Link to A’s ballpark update

Link to Rian Johnson post

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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 lockout. Then (1:06:55) Ben talks to The Athletic’s Sam Blum about what he learned from covering the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Tyler Skaggs against the Angels, which was settled just before the jury reached a verdict.

Audio interstitial: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio outro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Jeff’s last EW appearance

Link to Jeff’s newsbreaking origins

Link to Jeff’s gravy tweet

Link to aging research

Link to article about aging

Link to Woj comments

Link to Schefter comments

Link to Shams comments

Link to Shams profile

Link to Shams vs. Woj feature

Link to Passan NBA report

Link to exhibit 49 info

Link to more exhibit 49 info

Link to ESPN-MLB deal

Link to ESPN-NFL deal

Link to ESPN evolution

Link to Jeff’s trade tweet

Link to news about Jeff’s son

Link to The LAT on the settlement

Link to Sam on the settlement

Link to Sam on Trout

Link to MLB testing change

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