Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss all the aspects of Juan Soto signing a record-breaking contract with the New York Mets. That’s it. That’s the episode.

Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Dan S. on Soto
Link to Ben C. on Soto
Link to Kram on Soto
Link to Passan on Soto
Link to The Athletic on Soto
Link to Heyman on Soto
Link to MLBTR on Soto
Link to FG Soto stats post
Link to OBP+ leaders
Link to OBP+ through 26
Link to payrolls page
Link to Friedman quote
Link to EW gift subscriptions
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a Tigers tweet about future first-pitch timing and other non-topical PSAs, provide a Secret Santa sign-up reminder, consider baseball authority figures who answer fan mail, discuss the impact that the changing economic landscape of college sports could have on MLB drafting and development, react to Danny Jansen’s deal with the Rays, and answer a question about defining “division rivals,” then (57:10) bring on Michael Mountain to Stat Blast about his new Wins Above Average-based Hall of Fame metric, BOOG, plus updates.

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

Link to Tigers tweet
Link to Monfort email 1
Link to Monfort email 2
Link to Manfred email
Link to Manfred autograph 1
Link to Manfred autograph 2
Link to Manfred autograph 3
Link to Manfred autograph 4
Link to Selig email quote
Link to Updike quote
Link to NIL Athletic article
Link to MLBTR on Jansen
Link to tweet about Jansen
Link to Tango Bluesky post
Link to Tango blog post
Link to Michael’s Stat Blast cover
Link to HoF pace for hitters
Link to HOF pace for pitchers
Link to tiered HOF by BOOG score
Link to BOOG graphs site
Link to MLBTR on Holmes
Link to MLBTR on Bieber
Link to MLBTR top 50 FA
Link to over/under draft score
Link to ABA article
Link to Manfred backtrack
Link to EW gift subscriptions
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the A’s signing Luis Severino and year-end podcast-listening stats, follow up on the golden at-bat and Hall of Fame plaques, and (1:07:46) discuss the history of deferred payments in sports contracts.

Audio intro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG post on Severino
Link to over/under draft results
Link to Gonzalez A’s tweet
Link to Passan spending tweet
Link to FG payrolls page
Link to Pesäpallo episode
Link to The Athletic’s Soto report
Link to Manfred and Stugotz
Link to non-Gandhi quote
Link to Russell on the golden AB
Link to golden thong story
Link to listener emails database
Link to plaque variations
Link to story on Jackie’s plaque
Link to AP on the Dodgers
Link to Dolgoff plan info 1
Link to Dolgoff plan info 2
Link to Ard interview
Link to ABA article
Link to “Sutter Day” on EW
Link to Sutter article
Link to Turner censure article
Link to reaping/sowing tweet
Link to Hunter article 1
Link to Hunter article 2
Link to Hunter article 3
Link to Hunter article 4
Link to Hunter article 5
Link to Hunter article 6
Link to 1981 article
Link to Rice article
Link to 2013 deferrals story
Link to EW gift subscriptions
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their obliviousness to Juan Soto signing rumors, what should count as a team claiming to have tried to sign someone, a rash of recent real signings, the strength of the free agent market so far, the Dodgers’ accounting tactics and misperceptions about deferrals, the decline in therapeutic use exemptions to MLB’s joint drug policy, and (44:17) the pros and cons of the controversial “golden at-bat” idea that was recently mooted by Rob Manfred.

Audio intro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Passan’s Soto tweet
Link to MLBTR’s Soto stories
Link to The Athletic’s Soto report
Link to MLBTR’s top 50 FA
Link to FG’s top 50 FA
Link to We Tried Tracker post 1
Link to We Tried Tracker post 2
Link to We Tried Tracker
Link to FG post on Montas
Link to FG post on Boyd
Link to Cubs spending rumor
Link to FG post on Higashioka
Link to FG post on Edman
Link to Becker on Snell
Link to Becker on Edman
Link to 2009 TUE story
Link to 2016 TUE story
Link to Russell on TUEs
Link to 2024 testing stats
Link to Bluesky bot
Link to pudding expression
Link to Delilah wiki
Link to Manfred pod appearance
Link to Stark article
Link to Bananas rule
Link to EW gift subscriptions
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a Nolan Arenado rumor, then (5:15) answer listener emails about fandoms that are overrepresented in baseball media, Formula 1-style “pay players” in MLB, whether players should be paid overtime for the postseason, whether MLB will ever classify foreign leagues as “major,” a Disney Channel baseball scene, fan-elected baseball executives, and (1:14:13) a player (Earl Pruess) with a mysterious nickname, followed by a bonus Stat Blast (1:24:02) about the typical tenures of sports leagues commissioners and Supreme Court justices.

Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLBTR on Arenado
Link to Arenado Athletic report
Link to Dave’s USSM letter
Link to MLBTR on the letter
Link to “pay drivers” article
Link to NBA prize money
Link to Dodgers postseason pool
Link to Ben on league reclassification 1
Link to Ben on league reclassification 2
Link to Suite Life scene
Link to Suite Life episode
Link to spectator interference rule
Link to Veeck’s fanagers
Link to “Gibby” nicknames
Link to Pruess post
Link to Pruess TSN card
Link to Pruess signing article
Link to Pruess gambling article
Link to Pruess documents
Link to Pruess autograph 1
Link to Pruess autograph 2
Link to Pruess autograph 3
Link to Pruess obit
Link to younger Pruess obit
Link to listener emails database
Link to EW commissioners discussion
Link to Stat Blast spreadsheet
Link to latest HUAL episode
Link to EW gift subscriptions
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley begin with a cold-open reaction to late-breaking news about Blake Snell signing with the Dodgers, then (19:52) banter about gift subscriptions, the Angels signing Yusei Kikuchi, and the Brady Singer–Jonathan India trade, follow up (46:58) on the Rays stadium situation, and, in the Thanksgiving spirit, discuss (56:59) things about baseball that they’re thankful for.

Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Dan S. on the Snell signing
Link to MLBTR on Snell
Link to Dodgers depth chart
Link to team payroll page
Link to team attendance page
Link to FG gift subscriptions
Link to EW gift subscriptions
Link to FG on Kikuchi
Link to FG on Singer/India
Link to Royals lineup splits
Link to Rays update
Link to Rays ballpark letter
Link to article about players chewing
Link to fun things drafts
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form

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Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, Ben Clemens, Michael Baumann, and podcast scorekeeper Chris Hanel convene to play “College Baseball Player or Fictional Republican Politician?” and reveal the victors of the 2024 minor league free agent draft and bold preseason predictions game, including recaps of each prediction.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to minor league FA draft pod
Link to draft wiki
Link to past draft research
Link to 2024 bold predictions pod
Link to 2024 bold predictions wiki
Link to 2023 predictions recap
Link to preseason predictions wiki
Link to drafts/competitions sheet
Link to “WDJDD?” song
Link to Ohtani scrum count
Link to EW guests spreadsheet
Link to Baumann on 300 Ks
Link to Chris’s website
Link to Support Class
Link to Patreon gift subs
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form

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 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com
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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how much Shohei Ohtani’s teammates helped him win his third MVP award, his incredible four-season stretch, whether Dekopin/Decoy is really his dog, the other MVP and Cy Young results, a Joey Meneses signing, Austin Slater and the virtues of being a team’s “top target,” the Rays’ confounding stadium strategy, the varying pronunciations of “envelope,” a listener question about RSN ownership, the seventh annual Effectively Wild Secret Santa, and more, plus a postscript Stat Blast (1:15:40) about players whose whole MLB careers were confined to “non-MLB” ballparks.

Audio intro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ohtani interview
Link to Ohtani quote
Link to preseason projections
Link to Episode 2140
Link to Dekopin clip
Link to MLB.com on Ohtani
Link to AL MVP voting
Link to NL MVP voting
Link to AL Cy voting
Link to NL Cy voting
Link to MLBTR on Meneses
Link to Sox Machine on Slater
Link to Rays letter story
Link to DRaysBay on funding 1
Link to DRaysBay on funding 2
Link to Calcaterra on the Rays
Link to Manfred on the Rays
Link to Joe on the RSN era
Link to Rangers RSN story
Link to ROOT schedule
Link to Ben Zimmer’s website
Link to Ben on Wolfe
Link to first pronunciation
Link to second pronunciation
Link to summer sausage episode
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form
Link to listener emails database
Link to 2020-only players
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Andrew Lowden’s cover
Link to “The Good in Everyone”
Link to Stat Blast parks list
Link to Stat Blast players list
Link to Reddit comment

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rich Hill’s latest (and hopefully not last) pitching exploits, then discuss how Rob Manfred’s desire to craft his legacy as commissioner could shape the sport’s direction, why sports commissioners’ tenures last so long, what qualities of the World Series-winning Dodgers rival teams might try to emulate, rumors surrounding the Dodgers and Roki Sasaki, and more.

Audio intro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Hill gamer
Link to Hill pitching matchup
Link to Hill strikeout montage
Link to Hill on next season
Link to Manfred on expansion
Link to Manfred on national TV
Link to Manfred on media training
Link to Theo on copycats
Link to NBC Sports Chicago news
Link to link rot wiki
Link to Theo on decadal changes
Link to Lewie’s newsletter
Link to team postseason percentages
Link to semantic satiation wiki
Link to MLBTR on Sasaki
Link to Rosenthal on Sasaki
Link to Ben’s Halo podcast

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley solicit listener suggestions for an upcoming podcast series, discuss what they would ask potential employers if they were on a Juan Soto-esque free-agent tour, and banter about the Orioles dismantling “Walltimore,” the far-less-settled-than-expected situations of the A’s and Rays, differing medical evaluations and Brusdar Graterol’s role in the Mookie Betts trade, the AL and NL Rookies of the Year, and the most interesting aspects of the Hall of Fame ballot.

Audio intro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Multisport Sabermetrics Exchange
Link to EW groundskeeper interview
Link to EW Rooker interview
Link to Soto meeting tracker
Link to Walltimore article
Link to 2021 park factors
Link to 2024 park factors
Link to ballpark homogenization info
Link to Rays ballpark article 1
Link to Rays ballpark article 2
Link to Trop images
Link to A’s/Rays article
Link to A’s/Rays/expansion article
Link to Daikin Park news
Link to Yankees/Flaherty article 1
Link to Yankees/Flaherty article 2
Link to Brusdar trade hold-up
Link to MLBTR on original Betts deal
Link to PPI MLBTR on final Betts deal
Link to Brusdar retrospective
Link to MLBTR on Graterol’s shoulder
Link to Ruth’s Chris name
Link to NL voting results
Link to AL voting results
Link to 2025 ballot
Link to Jaffe on the ballot
Link to Stark on the ballot
Link to Dubuque on the ballot
Link to framing leaderboard

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 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com
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