Welcome to Episode 140 of Tablesetters.

Devin is joined by Chris Welsh, Host and Analyst for FantasyPros and BettingPros, co-owner of In This League, and the creator of The Prospect One Podcast.

With fantasy baseball draft season fully underway, this conversation is about stripping things back to what actually matters. Chris joins the show to discuss how he’s approaching drafts in 2026, how preparation has changed in an era of constant information, and where fantasy players can still gain real advantages despite ADP, rankings, and projections being more accessible than ever.

The episode opens with Chris reflecting on a recent trip to New Orleans before pivoting into where he’s at right now in draft season—whether he’s already drafting in serious leagues or still focused on mocks, and what those high-stakes leagues actually look like in terms of format, depth, and risk tolerance.

From there, the discussion moves into player evaluation and draft dynamics. We start with regression candidates, using Cal Raleigh as a focal point at catcher—how much regression to expect, how positional value factors into his lofty NFBC ADP, and whether taking a catcher that early is a bet worth making. Chris also shares additional players he believes may be overdrafted relative to expectation.

We then dig into Ben Rice, his eye-popping underlying metrics, and how roster construction—specifically the Yankees’ decision to re-sign Paul Goldschmidt—could impact Rice’s fantasy value and playing time outlook in 2026.

The conversation expands to players who have changed teams and whether those moves meaningfully raise their fantasy ceilings. From there, Devin and Chris tackle the downside of ADP itself—how it can make drafts feel rigid and formulaic—and identify the players Chris is willing to reach for anyway, trusting conviction over consensus.

On the flip side, Chris revisits the idea of “disappointment” in fantasy terms—players whose production may not justify where they’re being drafted. We also touch on Nick Kurtz’s aggressive ADP and whether the price tag makes sense.

Pitching strategy becomes the next focus, including how the Dodgers handle their arms, whether that caps fantasy value, and why Chris is hesitant to invest early picks in elite pitchers like Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and Garrett Crochet despite their upside.

Later, Chris explains why the term “sleeper” has become harder to define in modern fantasy baseball, offers his favorite sleeper for the season, and highlights his favorite “if he stays healthy” player to target.

We close with a deeper look at Geraldo Perdomo’s puzzling ADP despite elite underlying production, a broader discussion of shortstop as one of the deepest positions in fantasy, keeper-league strategy surrounding Konnor Griffin, and a rapid-fire round of Would You Rather draft decisions featuring players with nearly identical NFBC ADPs.

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Welcome to Episode 139 of Tablesetters. Steve and Devin are joined by Jim Martin, the first-year head coach of Stony Brook Baseball and just the second Division I head coach in program history.

Jim steps into the role following the retirement of Matt Senk, who led the program for 35 seasons and helped establish Stony Brook as a national name, highlighted by the historic 2012 College World Series run. Unlike many coaching transitions, this one comes from within. Jim spent nearly a decade on staff, helping guide conference championships, NCAA appearances, and the program’s move into the Coastal Athletic Association.

As the Seawolves head into the 2026 season, they do so amid major changes across college baseball, from transfer portal movement and roster limits to NIL realities and a new CAA divisional format.

The conversation begins with Jim reflecting on the moment the promotion became official and what it meant to step into a role shaped by decades of continuity. From there, we explore how his perspective has shifted now that every aspect of the program—culture, development, roster management, and long-term direction—ultimately falls under his responsibility.

We dig into the 2026 schedule and what it demands, including an extended early road stretch that reflects the realities of Northeast baseball, the role of midweek games against regional opponents, and how coaches evaluate progress when early-season results can be misleading.

Jim also breaks down the new CAA divisional structure, how repeated matchups and RPI factor into postseason access, and what consistency really looks like across conference play. We discuss roster construction in 2026, managing expectations behind the scenes, and the core principles of player development that have stayed constant throughout his career.

Before wrapping up, we zoom out to talk about leadership, culture, and how success is measured in a first season beyond the standings. We close with quick hitters on Joe Nathan Field, lessons learned in Year One, and the message Jim wants fans and supporters to hear as this new chapter begins.

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Welcome to Episode 138 of Tablesetters. Steve and Devin break down a trio of offseason moves that quietly say a lot about where teams believe they are—and where they’re trying to go. We open with one of the most consequential pitching signings of the winter: the Tigers landing Framber Valdez on a three-year, $115 million deal. We dig into why this isn’t just about dollars, but about organizational intent—Detroit stepping decisively into the modern ace market, buying durability, variance reduction, and rotation authority rather than chasing upside. We talk contract structure, park fit at Comerica, and what this move signals about the Tigers’ competitive timeline moving forward. From there, we shift to Cincinnati and the Reds bringing Eugenio Suárez back on a one-year, $15 million deal. This isn’t a nostalgia play—it’s a targeted bet on power stabilization. We examine why the market stayed cold despite Suárez’s 49-homer season, how his extreme profile fits Great American Ball Park, and why this move makes sense for a Reds team that reached the postseason on pitching but desperately needed a bat that could change game states with one swing. We close with a deep dive into the Mariners acquiring Brendan Donovan in a three-team trade with the Cardinals and Rays. This is a roster-shaping move for Seattle: contact over chaos, flexibility over blockage, and present value without sacrificing the future. We break down Donovan’s offensive consistency, why his skill set matters so much for a high-variance lineup, and how Seattle managed to improve now without touching their true top-tier prospects. We also zoom out on what this trade means for St. Louis’ rebuild and Tampa Bay’s constant margin optimization. Three moves, three very different strategies—but all rooted in timing, fit, and clarity of direction. Follow us for more: 📸 Instagram: @Tablesetterspod 🐦 X: @Tablesetterspod If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share—and drop your MLB offseason takes in the comments. We’ll keep the conversation going.

Episode 137 of Tablesetters introduces a brand-new live concept: the MLB Royal Rumble — a stat-based elimination format designed to test how different types of baseball careers hold up when the rules never change and the criteria never stop shifting.

This isn’t an argument about eras or a shortcut to crowning a “greatest” player. The structure is the point.

The ring fills to five players with no eliminations. Once it’s full, every new entrant brings a predetermined stat that immediately forces a ranking. The lowest-ranked player in that category is eliminated, the new entrant takes their place, and the cycle continues.

The player pool is generated completely at random, pulling from a wide cross-section of baseball history. Legends, active stars, pitchers, hitters, role players, and wild cards can all land in the same field. Careers from entirely different eras and paths are placed side by side, and the format doesn’t care how they got there.

All eliminations are based on rankings, not vibes or debates but the format isn’t allergic to reality either. Sometimes raw totals don’t lie, and when they matter, they’re part of the equation.

When pitchers and hitters are compared, equivalent statistics are used and ranked accordingly. Rate stats, value metrics, counting numbers, and durability all rotate through the board, creating matchups that are fair on paper — even when they feel uncomfortable in practice.

To add even more unpredictability, select random numbers trigger double-entrant rounds and double eliminations, injecting chaos into the format and forcing the field to adapt on the fly.

The stat pool spans everything from modern context-adjusted metrics to old-school production, blending performance, longevity, peak value, and efficiency and no player survives by being good at just one thing.

What the MLB Royal Rumble ultimately reveals isn’t a definitive answer about greatness. It reveals something more interesting: which careers are flexible enough to survive constant comparison, and which profiles get exposed when the lens never stops moving.

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Welcome to Episode 136 of Tablesetters! Steve and Devin are back as we continue our deep dive into all things baseball, and today we’re thrilled to welcome back Ben Upton, co-founder and host of 11Point7, one of the most trusted voices covering the college baseball landscape.

Ben last joined us on Episode 59 in February 2025, when college baseball felt like it was standing on the edge of something bigger. One year later, heading into the 2026 season, that momentum hasn’t slowed. If anything, it’s intensified, with portal movement reshaping rosters, NIL becoming more structured, national exposure increasing, and a preseason Top 25 that feels deeper and more volatile than ever.

We kick things off by revisiting that conversation from last year and asking Ben what the biggest tangible change has been now that another full season is in the books. Is it the way programs like LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia reload annually, the speed and scale of roster turnover through the portal, or the way fans now follow college baseball on a truly national level?

From there, we dive into the 2026 preseason picture. UCLA opens the year at No. 1 behind returning Player of the Year Roch Cholowsky, while LSU chases history, Mississippi State reboots under Brian O’Connor, Georgia Tech brings back its ACC core, and Coastal Carolina enters the year with one of the best pitching staffs in the country. Ben breaks down whether this season represents real parity or simply an unusually strong upper tier and which team is best positioned to take control if UCLA stumbles.

Hot topics include the loaded Player of the Year race featuring Cholowsky, Drew Burress, Derek Curiel, Ace Reese, and Justin Lebron, how Ben evaluates award races beyond raw production, and whether 2026 is shaping up to be a pitcher-driven season with arms like Cameron Flukey, Jackson Flora, Casan Evans, Dax Whitney, and Tommy LaPour headlining the conversation.

The discussion expands to teams just outside the rankings, Texas A&M’s prove-it season, and the growing trend of college coaches moving into MLB roles. Ben shares his thoughts on Tony Vitello’s jump to the Giants, other recent staff departures to the pro ranks, and whether this movement can officially be called a trend. We also hit mid-majors capable of making real noise, conference realignment growing pains, potential structural changes to the MLB Draft and minor leagues, and what that could mean for college baseball’s future.

Before we wrap, we close with quick hitters, including one team Ben is higher on than the rankings, one he’s more skeptical of, a player casual fans will be talking about by April, the pitcher he trusts most in a winner-take-all game, and his early “Eight for Omaha” pick.

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If you enjoy the episode, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share. Let’s keep the conversation going — drop your college baseball questions in the comments!

Episode 135 of Tablesetters focuses on a fantasy baseball mock draft on CBS Sports, recorded Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET in a 12-team head-to-head categories format.

This was a full-length, 23-round mock that ran close to 90 minutes and featured a room of experienced fantasy managers from across the fantasy baseball landscape. The draft included Scott White of CBS Sports alongside Sean Martin and Mike Nelson from Fantasy Baseball Now, George Kurtz of SportsGrid, Nick Fox of NBC Sports, B_Don of Razzball, Jeremy Heist of Fantistics Fantasy, Chris Mitchell of FantasyData, Anthony Kates of SportsEthos, and TGFBI participant Marty Tallman. The room approached the draft deliberately, reacting to positional runs, managing time, and adjusting strategy as the board developed.

Rather than recapping the draft pick by pick, Steve and Devin center the discussion on decision-making and draft structure. They examine how early pitching selections involving arms such as Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and Garrett Crochet influenced roster construction, and how elite hitters like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani shaped category planning and lineup balance.

The episode breaks down how head-to-head categories formats create specific constraints, particularly with pitching minimums and weekly matchups. The conversation focuses on how managers weighed stability versus upside, managed category needs as the draft progressed, and used roster flexibility to respond to changes in the room.

This episode is intended as a look at process rather than results, highlighting how experienced fantasy players interpret draft flow, adjust priorities, and make decisions in real time.

For listeners preparing for competitive fantasy baseball drafts or looking to refine how they approach roster construction, this episode provides practical context without relying on full draft recaps.

⚾️ A blueprint for how drafts actually unfold.

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Episode 134 of Tablesetters is a live reaction episode examining how teams across Major League Baseball are balancing urgency, flexibility, and long-term thinking.

We open in Queens, where the New York Mets respond to missing out on Kyle Tucker by leaning into short-term upside. That approach begins with the signing of Bo Bichette to a three year, $126 million contract and continues with the trade for Luis Robert Jr., adding contact ability, athleticism, and volatility to the lineup.

The week culminates with the Mets acquiring Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers from the Milwaukee Brewers, giving New York a legitimate top of the rotation starter and much needed innings stability. We break down why Peralta’s durability, strikeout profile, and contract value made him the right target despite the significant prospect cost and competitive balance tax impact.

From there, we shift to the Bronx, where the New York Yankees re sign Cody Bellinger to a five year, $162.5 million deal. We discuss the structure of the contract, the opt outs, and why Bellinger’s 2025 performance made him a stabilizing fit for a roster already operating deep into the luxury tax.

We close with legacy, as Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones are elected to the Hall of Fame. The discussion centers on how very different career paths, one defined by longevity and completeness and the other by historic defensive dominance, ultimately arrive at the same destination.

Steve and Devin connect market behavior, roster construction, and long-term planning across a league that continues to operate on multiple timelines at once.

⚾️ One episode, three timelines. The present, the future, and the history that frames them.

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This is not a numbered Tablesetters episode and not our standard show format. What you’re hearing here is our segment from a recent guest appearance on Refuse to Lose, the Seattle Mariners–focused podcast hosted by Brady Farkas. Brady was kind enough to allow us to share this portion of the discussion. Listeners should check out the full episode of Refuse to Lose for the complete conversation and broader Mariners coverage.

The discussion begins with Félix Hernández and the Hall of Fame. Rather than focusing on traditional milestones, we talk through how Hall of Fame evaluation has shifted alongside changes in pitcher usage, workload, and league context. The focus is on peak performance, era adjustment, and overall impact, and whether the evaluation framework should continue to evolve.

From there, we move to Dave Sims and his transition from Seattle to becoming the radio voice of the New York Yankees. We discuss Sims’ long tenure with the Mariners, the role broadcasters play in shaping fan experience, and why this move carries significance for both fan bases without overstating it.

We also examine the Yankees’ offseason, why it has been comparatively quiet, and whether a move like Cody Bellinger still fits their roster construction. That leads into a broader look at how Yankees fans view the Mariners within the American League landscape, and what that perception says about competitive positioning.

On the Mets side, the conversation turns to roster alignment and trade considerations, including whether the Mets and Mariners could function as logical trade partners. We also discuss Jorge Polanco’s time in Seattle and how that tenure informs expectations now that he is with the Mets.

We round out the segment with some lighter reflection, including favorite former Mets who spent time with the Mariners, favorite former Yankees who passed through Seattle, and how those player overlaps shape the way fans experience interleague and cross-division connections over time.

This is a focused baseball discussion centered on evaluation, context, and roster timing rather than breaking news or hot takes.

Thanks to Brady Farkas for having us on and for allowing us to share this segment.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of Refuse to Lose wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 133 of Tablesetters is a live, solo emergency reaction to the New York Mets signing Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract, a deal that immediately reframes the Mets’ offseason after missing on Kyle Tucker.

This episode focuses on why this was not a fallback move. We break down the structure of the contract, the $42 million AAV, the opt-outs, and the absence of deferrals, and explain how it mirrors the same short-term, high-value philosophy the Mets pursued with Tucker. The player changed. The strategy did not.

We also examine the market context that sharpened the decision. According to Bob Nightengale, the Philadelphia Phillies believed they had Bichette locked up on a seven-year, $200 million deal before the Mets stepped in. Rather than matching length and risk, New York leveraged annual value and optionality, reshaping both the division and the market in the process.

From there, we dig into what the Mets are actually buying on the field, how Bichette’s 2025 season reestablished his offensive ceiling, and why the club appears comfortable with the defensive trade-offs at third base given their infield alignment and roster depth.

This is not a full teardown. It’s a focused reaction on leverage, roster timing, and what this move says about how the Mets are choosing to compete right now.

⚾️ A fast pivot, a clear philosophy, and another defining contract in a rapidly evolving offseason.

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Episode 132 of Tablesetters is an emergency reaction pod centered on a market-shifting decision, as Kyle Tucker agrees to a four-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, immediately resetting both the top of the free-agent market and the competitive landscape heading into 2026.

We open with the deal itself, breaking down how a $60 million AAV contract represents a decisive pivot away from traditional long-term free-agent structures and toward compressed risk at the very top of the market. We discuss why Tucker and the Dodgers were uniquely aligned on this structure, how Los Angeles leveraged competitive certainty and roster context over sheer length, and what this agreement signals about where elite player negotiations may be heading.

From there, we examine the broader market fallout. Tucker’s decision effectively closes the door on the Mets’ reported $50 million-per-year short-term push and the Blue Jays’ long-term pursuit, while clarifying how teams are increasingly being forced to choose between flexibility and security. We explore how this signing reshapes leverage for remaining free agents and how quickly the rest of the offseason could now accelerate.

We then turn to the on-field implications in Los Angeles. Tucker’s arrival addresses a clear offensive inefficiency in the Dodgers’ outfield, particularly in on-base ability, while raising both the floor and ceiling of a lineup already built to contend. We break down the inevitable roster ripple effects, including the pressure this puts on depth pieces and the difficult decisions that follow when a true superstar enters the mix.

Finally, we zoom out to the long view. We discuss the draft and development costs attached to signing another qualifying-offer free agent, why the Dodgers were willing to absorb them, and how this move fits within an organization balancing immediate championship windows with a steady pipeline of young talent nearing the majors.

Steve and Devin connect the dots between financial creativity, competitive leverage, and roster timing, framing the Tucker signing as more than a splash — it is a signal about how the next phase of team building at the top of the sport may look.

⚾️ An emergency decision, a market reset, and a defining move of the offseason.

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