Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the cruelty of the gift Ben gave his Effectively Wild Secret Santa recipient, which MLB team has the most pressure on it to finish the offseason strong (15:23), Chris Sale’s extension, and the Mets signing Harrison Bader. Then (36:36) they answer listener emails about which mascots would be the tastiest to eat, the NPB spectator experience, whether Shohei Ohtani could get hurt in a way that would prevent him from hitting but not from pitching, eliminating guaranteed playoff berths for division winners, and removing fielders as a penalty for pulling starting pitchers.

Audio intro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to gift Ben received
Link to gift Ben gave
Link to N616RH story
Link to Imanaga rumors
Link to Snell rumor
Link to Atkins comments
Link to Baumann on the Cubs
Link to Red Sox offseason story
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Eric André meme
Link to Sale extension details
Link to Bader signing details
Link to FanGraphs editor listing
Link to MLB mascots page
Link to mascots wiki
Link to Pop-Tarts Bowl meme
Link to Seinfeld clip
Link to NPB fan cheering
Link to Sam on Gsellman
Link to EW Episode 2093
Link to Sheehan on the AL Central
Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley recap news and transactions from over the holidays, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s thoughts on San Francisco and Yu Darvish’s thoughts on the Dodgers signing his WBC teammates, the Mariners signing Mitch Garver, the Reds signing Frankie Montas, a smattering of Blue Jays and White Sox signings, the Estevan Florial trade, and the retirement of Andrelton Simmons. Then (49:19) they discuss the Lucas Giolito signing and the Chris Sale trade before segueing into a Stat Blast (1:07:05) about the evolution of starting-pitcher workloads, volume vs. efficiency, and what an “innings eater” is in 2024.

Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”
Audio outro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to EW Episode 2102
Link to Yamamoto comment
Link to story about sad Darvish
Link to Garver FG post
Link to Krall comment
Link to offseason spending leaders
Link to Jays signings FG post
Link to Florial FG post
Link to Simmons Stathead query
Link to Simmons highlights video
Link to DRS leaders
Link to Sale FG post
Link to Sale BP post
Link to Baumann on Braves trades
Link to Nightengale tweet
Link to FG SP depth charts
Link to Cora on Sale
Link to Sox spending report
Link to Ben on Sale in 2018
Link to 2023 IP leaders
Link to Passan Civale tweet
Link to Dan S. tweet
Link to Trueblood on volume
Link to Tango on quantity/quality
Link to Mains on pitching/payrolls
Link to Jennings on innings eaters
Link to Ben’s Stat Blast exhibits
Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits
Link to Sale 2022 meltdown
Link to punching bag video
Link to Sale scissors incident
Link to 1996 Park story
Link to EW Episode 2104
Link to Stat Blast song cover
Link to all Stat Blast covers

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Ben Lindbergh is joined by Hannah Keyser and Zach Crizer, formerly of Yahoo Sports and the Bandwagon podcast, to discuss at least one listener-nominated, previously overlooked topic from 2023 about each MLB team.

Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to The Bandwagon
Link to Hannah’s Yahoo archive
Link to Zach’s Yahoo archive
Link to Zach’s website
Link to Votto tweet
Link to Yamamoto comment
Link to links/notes spreadsheet

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With this year’s MLB free agent market enlivened by international players, Ben Lindbergh talks to three guests about three baseball-rich countries. First, Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency joins to discuss the response in South Korea to Jung Hoo Lee 이정후’s signing, Shin-Soo Choo 추신수’s forthcoming retirement, the legendary career of Choi Dong-won, and the ongoing reckoning with bullying in the KBO and Korean culture at large. Then (44:21) Ben talks to NPB historian Rob Fitts about trailblazing Japanese pitchers Eiji Sawamura and Masanori Murakami, and how baseball would be different if Japanese players had entered MLB earlier. Lastly (1:12:02), Ben brings on Sami Khan, co-director of The Last Out, a documentary about three Cuban players who hoped to make the majors, to discuss their harrowing defections and how a talent exodus affected Cuban baseball.

Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Yoo on Lee
Link to Yoo on Lee 2
Link to Yoo on Lee 3
Link to Yoo on Lee 4
Link to Yoo on Choo
Link to Yoo on Fedde
Link to other Fedde article
Link to Choi Dong-won wiki
Link to Choi Dong-won Award wiki
Link to Yoo on An’s bullying
Link to Yoo on An 2
Link to An scouting report
Link to info on Babcock firing
Link to info on Peters firing
Link to volleyball twins article
Link to K-pop bullies
Link to Mel Hall article
Link to Mel Hall wiki
Link to Rakuten bullying
Link to Stove League EW wiki
Link to stream Stove League
Link to translators EW episode
Link to baseball deadening article
Link to KBO rules changes
Link to Yomiuri baseball cheers
Link to Rob’s website
Link to Rob’s SABR page
Link to Sawamura wiki
Link to Sawamura Award wiki
Link to posting system explainer
Link to EW Episode 1311
Link to EW Episode 1621
Link to EW Episode 1816
Link to Sugar wiki
Link to Ballplayer: Pelotero wiki
Link to Cuba-NPB/KBO article
Link to post on Rodríguez defection
Link to article on Rodríguez FA
Link to article on Arocha
Link to The Last Out trailer
Link to The Last Out website
Link to Q&A with the doc stars
Link to ESPN on Dominguez
Link to article on Cuban baseball decline
Link to ESPN on Cuba and the WBC
Link to wet feet, dry feet wiki
Link to 2018 MLB deal
Link to scuttled MLB deal

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Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens continue a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the 11th 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 2024.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to list of minor league FA
Link to Down on the Farm explainer
Link to BA on MiLB FA hitters
Link to last year’s draft
Link to competitions/drafts sheets
Link to EW wiki on draft history
Link to this draft’s results

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Ben Lindbergh and Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Craig Goldstein discuss all the fallout from the Dodgers’ record-breaking signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, including how it affects fan perceptions of the Dodgers, whether it’s good for MLB to have a heel, whether there’s a more virtuous way to win, the terms of the contract and their expectations for Yamamoto, whether the Dodgers will make even more moves, the impact on the teams that missed out on Yamamoto, and much more.

Audio intro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to “most important signing”
Link to Craig on Yamamoto
Link to Craig on Glasnow
Link to Eric on Yamamoto
Link to previous EW on Yamamoto
Link to FG payroll page
Link to Dodgers depth chart
Link to Dodgers contracts list
Link to Eno on Yamamoto
Link to Rosenthal on Yamamoto
Link to Rosenthal on other offers
Link to Harris on Ohtani’s deal
Link to story on Dodgers spending
Link to Passan on Yamamoto
Link to criminals spreadsheet
Link to Ben on Japanese pitchers
Link to Ben on Mookie
Link to Ben on October Dodgers
Link to Kram on October Dodgers
Link to Ben on spending/winning
Link to Ardaya on Syndergaard
Link to Sam on sad Kershaw
Link to Zimmerman on pitcher height
Link to Grant on Yamamoto
Link to Berman tweet
Link to Giants’ Ohtani offer
Link to article on Red Sox
Link to Five and Dive
Link to PECOTA release
Link to Baseball Byways blog
Link to Arenado article

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether MLB should implement an NHL-esque holiday transaction freeze, then (5:53) answer listener emails about Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and tampering, abandoning the Angels, what to do after visiting every MLB and MiLB ballpark, when the last-place finishers of 2023 will be 90-win true-talent teams, “prep” prospects, valuing a player with a knack for inspirational speeches, and applying a college-football-style playoff-selection process to MLB, followed by Stat Blasts (1:12:29) about Bobo Newsom and the most inveterate team-changers, a 13-year-old Ben’s all-time Yankees lineup, and whether the balanced schedule contributed to 2023’s MLB attendance boost.

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to tweet about transaction freeze
Link to Harper/Trout tampering
Link to Major League Rules
Link to Ortiz tampering
Link to Judge/Machado tampering
Link to FG on legalizing tampering
Link to Harper/Stanton tweets
Link to EW Episode 1053
Link to EW on abandoning the A’s
Link to Negro Leagues parks
Link to EW Episode 419
Link to BaseRuns records
Link to You’re Wrong About pod
Link to Decoder Ring pod
Link to Heyward speech info
Link to Ohtani speech info
Link to CFB selection explainer
Link to Florida State snub explainer
Link to listener emails database
Link to EW Episode 1780
Link to Bobo SABR bio
Link to Bobo book bio
Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter
Link to team-changing leaderboard
Link to 2009 study on turnover rates
Link to Ben on turnover rates
Link to Ben’s pottery plaque
Link to Yankees 1B WAR leaders
Link to Yankees 2B WAR leaders
Link to Yankees SS WAR leaders
Link to Yankees 3B WAR leaders
Link to Yankees C WAR leaders
Link to Yankees LF WAR leaders
Link to Yankees CF WAR leaders
Link to Yankees RF WAR leaders
Link to Yankees P WAR leaders
Link to Crosetti SABR bio
Link to Meusel SABR bio
Link to Mary Miner obit
Link to July attendance convo
Link to attendance data
Link to Chris Hanel tweets

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Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, FanGraphs’ Michael Baumann and Ben Clemens, and Chris Hanel play a quick round of “College Baseball Player or U.S. Space Shuttle Astronaut,” banter about the Braves’ series of recent, red-paper-clip-style trades (5:21) and the Diamondbacks re-signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (14:13), and then revisit, dissect, and score their bold preseason predictions from March (16:22).

Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to “I’m Just Ken”
Link to Atlanta’s transaction tracker
Link to Atlanta’s offseason tracker
Link to payrolls page
Link to Dan S. on Gurriel
Link to predictions episode
Link to predictions and scoring
Link to prediction success rate
Link to Vogelbach ad
Link to story on media gambling
Link to story on BBWAA/betting
Link to story on Gallen bird
Link to story on Brennan bird
Link to story on media gambling
Link to Volpe parm story
Link to Stigler’s law wiki

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani’s introductory press conference and getting closure on contract/canine questions, the audience verdict on how to handle Ohtani in the free-agent-contract over/under draft (20:22), the Dodgers-Rays Tyler Glasnow trade (32:09), the latest Royals signings (Michael Wacha, Hunter Renfroe), the Tigers adding Jack Flaherty, and the AL Central, Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, and the Rangers rotation, and Buster Posey’s comments about free agents being wary of San Francisco (1:01:30), plus a Stat Blast (1:09:49) about the longest gap between being minor league teammates and becoming big league teammates, and an Andre Braugher baseball rec (1:27:31).

Audio intro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to article on Ohtani’s elbow
Link to article on Ohtani’s dog
Link to Ohtani’s dog answer
Link to Portia EW interview
Link to info on negotiations
Link to “key man” clause
Link to Lindsey on the dog
Link to Ohtani on SNLA
Link to over/under draft wiki
Link to Rosenthal/Drellich article
Link to Sam Blum on Ohtani/Angels
Link to article on Ohtani/Glasnow
Link to Clemens on Glasnow
Link to Sam on the trade tree
Link to Laurila on Picollo
Link to Baumann on Mahle
Link to Posey’s comments
Link to Morgan/Burgmeier article
Link to Phillips/Raines article
Link to Kenny Jackelen’s Twitter
Link to Robinson in the Army
Link to Robinson movie on YouTube
Link to Robinson movie on IMDb
Link to Robinson book

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley call for a listener referendum on how to treat Shohei Ohtani’s unprecedented contract in the EW free-agent-contract over/under draft, then (20:43) banter about the Royals’ recent pitching additions and a wizardly Will Smith. After that (33:32), they talk to FanGraphs lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen about the players from Asian leagues who have enlivened the MLB free-agent market (including reports on new Giants addition Jung Hoo Lee 이정후, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga, Yuki Matsui, and Yariel Rodríguez), Eric’s process for evaluating international players, how perceptions of Asian leagues’ strengths and top talents have evolved, Erick Fedde and other players who’ve improved after going overseas, the best Asian players who are still years away from MLB, stylistic differences among leagues, and more.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to vote on the Ohtani contract
Link to latest over/under draft
Link to over/under draft wiki
Link to EW drafts/competitions sheet
Link to AP on Ohtani’s deal
Link to L.A. Times on Ohtani’s deal
Link to Sportico on Ohtani’s deal
Link to Clemens on Ohtani’s deal
Link to Zaidi on Ohtani
Link to FG post on Royals signings
Link to FG SP depth charts
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Gonny Jomes wiki
Link to article on Smith’s streak
Link to article on Hinske’s streak
Link to article on swimming witches
Link to wizard vs. warlock
Link to Lee cheer song
Link to EW guest appearance data
Link to DeltaGraphs
Link to Ben on DeltaGraphs
Link to Synergy Sports
Link to Eric on Lee
Link to SIS on Lee
Link to study on velocity splits
Link to SIS on Yamamoto
Link to info on Yamamoto meeting
Link to Eric on Fedde
Link to Bannister on Fedde
Link to Jyun Yue Tseng news
Link to Davenport on league strength
Link to Ben on NPB teams’ scouting
Link to Eric’s Board update

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