Episode 876

On this edition of FanGraphs Audio, Ben Clemens shares his impressions of the Winter Meetings, before we discuss a recent piece of his exploring free agency, and which types of teams are actually keeping the hot stove burning. Ben also shares which rosters have him the most excited for the 2020 season, and the answers may surprise you. Lastly, we discuss the latest updates from the realm of sign-stealing, and Ben discourages you from committing financial crime. 

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Episode 875

On this edition of FanGraphs Audio, I welcome senior writer Dan Szymborski back to the program. Dan and I discuss his favorite free agent signings of the offseason so far, the teams that have most altered their 2020 fortunes, and what a busy winter means for the overall health of free agency. I also force Dan to assign the remaining good free agents to new homes, lightening round style.

You can find all of Dan’s 2020 ZiPS projections here as they roll out.

Our RosterResource Free Agent tracker can be found here, and the Offseason Transaction Tracker can be found here.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 53 min play time.)

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Episode 874

On this edition of FanGraphs Audio, I welcome Craig Edwards back to the program. Craig and I discuss the Astros sign-stealing scandal and how much is too much cheating in baseball, before we turn our attention to the offseason, the free agent market, the motivations of baseball owners, and the troubling trend of good teams seeming interested in shedding good players to reduce payrolls and avoid rich extensions.

You can read Craig on the Yankees’ payroll here.
You can read Craig on the Cubs’ potentially eschewing their window of contention here.
You can read Craig on the wisdom of the crowd when it comes to free agent contracts here.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 47 min play time.)

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Episode 873

Fresh off the conclusion of the 2019 season, FanGraphs’ Lead Prospect Analyst Eric Longenhagen joins the program to discuss a few moments of potentially questionable decision-making during the World Series, some Umpiring Choices during that same Fall Classic, and our experience of robo-umps in the Arizona Fall League and a few prospects who stood out there, as well as the merits of the word “spooktacular.”

A word of warning for those listeners with tender ears: This episode does contain three swears. Those swears are not the fault of Dylan Higgins, who is away, but are instead the fault of the host, who got flummoxed by the prospect of editing them out. Generous listeners who are not undone by those bad words might describe the episode as “loose.” Those with a vendetta against the host might instead assert that said host sounds tired. Both camps might be correct.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Episode 872

Ben Clemens makes an appearance to discuss the implications of reported changes to MLB’s ownership rules that would make it easier for investment funds to buy minority stakes in teams, before we shift our attention to the postseason. We contemplate the changed baseball and how it has affected our viewing experience, what we have enjoyed most from the playoffs so far, the Astros’ slumping offense, and a bevy of intentional walks.

Ben on changes to the MLB ownership rules
Ben on intentional walks, Parts One and Two
Ben on the Astros’ offensive woes
Jay Jaffe on the changed postseason baseball
Rob Arthur on the changed postseason baseball, Parts One and Two

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Episode 871

Managing editor of The Hardball Times Rachael McDaniel joins the program to discuss some recent THT highlights, the end of Félix Hernández’s career in Seattle, and what delights and dismays us about postseason baseball.

You’ll find Rachael’s recent piece on Félix here.

Miriam Zuo on the Houston Astros after Hurrican Harvey.

Allison McCague on using the language of commodities to refer to players.

Zachary Hayes on Justin Verlander’s left on base ability.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 43 min play time.)

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Episode 870

FanGraphs senior writer Jay Jaffe joins the program to discuss the current potential for ties, and thus chaos, in the postseason field, Jay’s preference that the playoffs feature match ups of the game’s best rosters, and his predictions for which teams make it to October, and the World Series. We also discuss his impressions of the current major league home run leaderboard and all these damn home runs, as well as Mookie Betts’ future in Boston. Jay also swears in Yiddish. It’s fine.

You can read Jay’s primer on Team Entropy, and the possible playoff scenarios it might inspire, from last week here.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Episode 869

I welcome Ringer staff writer Michael Baumann to the program to discuss his recent piece on the Cleveland Browns and football’s burgeoning analytics revolution. We discuss the insights offered by erstwhile baseball executive Paul DePodesta on the lessons he took from the rise of empirics in baseball and the mistakes from sabermetrics early days that he’s keen to avoid in a football front office. Plus, Michael shares the things he’s most keen to watch in the final month of the regular season.

You can read Michael’s Paul DePodesta Browns piece here. You should also check out his recent deep-dive on Shane Bieber. And be sure to follow him on twitter @MichaelBaumann.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 51 min play time.)

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Episode 868

I welcome FanGraphs lead prospect writer Eric Longenhagen back to the program. We contemplate surprisingly expensive adult hobbies before Eric details his recent amateur scouting trip through various Southern California showcases, including Area Codes and the Perfect Game All-American Classic, while I share some take aways from a weekend spent at SaberSeminar. We close with a discussion of the Arizona Fall League, and a quick draft of Fall League logos.

For prospect-related tweets, be sure to follow Eric and the FanGraphs Prospects account. And as always, you can find the guys’ latest rankings, reports, and updates on THE BOARD.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

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Episode 867

I welcome FanGraphs writer Craig Edwards back to the program to detail the current playoff landscape, check in on some tight (and not-so-tight) division races, and assess the October chances of Craig’s beloved St. Louis Cardinals. We also, though neither of us were aware of it at the time, engage in a series of reverse jinxes, before I force Craig to make several too-early predictions concerning year-end award recipients.

Be sure to read Craig’s recent pieces on José Altuve and José Ramírez, and to follow him on twitter.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 43 min play time.)

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