OG & Crab make their 2026 season predictions and then make fun of a bunch of bad takes from around baseball. This is a long one! You don’t have to listen to it all at once. Pace yourself.

The bad takes in question:

Trevor May wants collusion: https://youtu.be/d1aoqfTirhg

Rob Manfred on WFAN: https://youtu.be/hzeCQh1CZZM

Talkin’ Baseball is out on a salary floor: https://youtu.be/Q5QDsH2gaww

Trevor May’s ideas for a cap system: https://youtu.be/I7w2H38-u9M

OG & Crab holler about how the Pirates are just pawns for free agents’ agents, what Tarik Skubal’s big arbitration win means for Paul Skenes, and what to make of Fox hinting at scaling back their MLB media spending if the NFL insists on more money.

Awful Announcing article about Fox & MLB: https://awfulannouncing.com/fox/lachlan-murdoch-rebalance-sports-portfolio-nfl-rights-increase.html

OG & Crab review the Pirates' offseason moves and assess the Steelers' new head coach.

OG & Crab rant about a couple articles in The Athletic.

The articles:

The Pirates and Marlins have a sudden willingness to spend. Here’s what could be behind it:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6832284/2025/11/24/miami-marlins-pittsburgh-pirates-spending-offseason-revenue-sharing/

Hal Steinbrenner: It’s ‘not fair or accurate’ to say Yankees made a profit in 2025:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6834242/2025/11/24/hal-steinbrenner-yankees-profitable-payroll/

OG & Crab review the Pirates’ Rule 5 roster protection decisions, lampoon Bob Nightengale a little bit, and unpack MLB’s new national TV deals.

Bob on the “big losses”: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2025/11/10/mlb-free-agency-trade-rumors-gm-meetings/87190324007/

Bob on the Pirates’ “profits”: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2025/05/11/pete-alonso-stats-new-york-mets/83556338007/

DK Pittsburgh Sports saying the Pirates lost money in 2024: https://dkpittsburghsports.com/team/site-stuff/feed?page=0&content=pirates-losing-money-bob-nutting-investigation-mlb-dk

Jeff Passan’s article claiming the Pirates are looking to spend: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46999006/mlb-2025-26-offseason-passan-predictions-free-agency-kyle-tucker-schwarber-alex-bregman

OG & Crab go on and on and on about baseball's labor issues and what is likely to come of MLB's next collective bargaining showdown.

Read the CBA for yourself: https://www.mlbplayers.com/cba

OG & Crab recount the recent changes to the Pirates’ front office and coaching staff, and then explore the secret to the Dodgers’ success.

Atlanta Braves Holdings 2024 Annual Report: https://www.bravesholdings.com/investors/news-events/press-releases/detail/204/atlanta-braves-holdings-reports-fourth-quarter-and-year-end

Boston Globe (via Archive.org) reporting on MLB OPEX in 2020: https://web.archive.org/web/20200529064249/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/28/sports/inside-multibillion-dollar-dispute-between-mlb-its-players/

Pirates hire new pitching coach: https://www.mlb.com/news/bill-murphy-to-be-pirates-new-pitching-coach-source

Nationals hire Justin Horowitz: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2025/10/24/pirates-nationals-justin-horowitz-konnor-griffin/stories/202510240066

OG & Crab dissect some reporting about the Pirates' latest dysfunction.

Noah Hiles' final article on the Bucco beat: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2025/09/29/mlb-pirates-bob-nutting-ben-cherington-paul-skenes-andrew-mccutchen/stories/202509290003

DKPS Friday Insider: https://dkpittsburghsports.com/team/site-stuff/feed/topic/pirates-bob-nutting-ben-cherington-decision-mlb-dk

OG & Crab eulogize the 2025 Pirates' season and react to the news that both Ben Cherington and Travis Williams will retain their jobs after all that.

OG & Crab dive deep in the first of a series of shows dedicated to exploring the economics of baseball. In this installment, franchise value and its importance to the health of the business of baseball is the subject.

Jason Mackey’s article in the Post-Gazette: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/jason-mackey/2025/08/18/mlb-pirates-mccutchen-skenes-nutting/stories/202508180052