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 to get everyone interested in interest rates and explain why the CBA and economic conditions have encouraged teams to sign so many free agents to extremely lengthy deals this winter. They close (1:22:40) with a Past Blast from 1942.

Audio interstitial: The Hold Steady, “On With the Business”

Audio outro: PUP, “Grim Reaping”

Link to Velasquez video

Link to signing tweet

Link to Priester video

Link to laptop tweet

Link to Pirates’ winter moves

Link to “mutant option” tweet

Link to Foolish tweet

Link to Belisle mutual option

Link to bad ballot

Link to Dan S. on Correa

Link to Mallory Pugh wiki

Link to Eisert on Syndergaard

Link to Dodgers depth chart

Link to SP depth charts

Link to Simon on Correa

Link to Olney on Judge

Link to Ricketts comment

Link to Ben on long deals

Link to Rosenthal on long deals

Link to EW on long deals

Link to Kovalchuk article

Link to NPR on interest rates

Link to 1942 story source

Link to FDR’s letter

Link to Jacob Pomrenke’s website

Link to Jacob Pomrenke on Twitter

Link to Carlin video

Link to Carlin transcript

Link to Secret Santa sign-up sheet

Link to Secret Santa FB thread

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