Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Effectively Wild Episode 2427: Holo Victory Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley analyze the latest additions to the AL East: Ryan Weathers to the Yankees and Ranger Suárez to the Red Sox. Then (26:52) they bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Jon Norton to answer listener emails about players who’ve repeatedly signed one-year contracts, whether they would want to play in an MLB […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2426: The Hot (Stove) Corner Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down the Cubs’ big Alex Bregman signing, Nolan Arenado’s trade to Arizona, Kauffman Stadium’s soon-to-be-cozier confines, and a former GM’s dismissal of advanced stats, plus a few follow-ups. Audio intro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Andrews on Bregman Link to Baumann on […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2425: The Manfred Mantra Jan 10, 2026

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a breakup of baseball lookalikes, minor league free agent draft eligibility, and more players who unretired after becoming coaches, then break down the latest baseball broadcasting developments, Rob Manfred’s recent comments (about his priorities and future, an offseason signing deadline, and regular-season structure), Tarik Skubal’s historic arbitration case, […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2424: The Perfect Fits for Free Agents Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how the on-ramp for learning about sports analytics has changed since they were students, follow up on players who unretired after becoming coaches, break down the Edward Cabrera trade (and the Michael Lorenzen signing), and then discuss the remaining top-10 free agents (Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez, […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2423: The State of the Stove Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Daniel Vogelbach becoming a Brewers hitting coach and coach-hiring trends, analyze and phact-check Tommy Pham’s pitch for “PhamGraphs,” react to the Kazuma Okamoto signing and the Blue Jays embracing their big-market potential (in contrast to the Giants), and take the temperature of the pretty tepid stove (phollowed by […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2422: The 2026 Minor League Free Agent Draft Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Ben Clemens banter about the Astros signing Tatsuya Imai to a smaller-than-expected deal. Then (18:20) they continue a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the 13th 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 […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2421: The Stories We Missed in 2025 (AL Edition) Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the potential risk to sports prediction markets pose and then (24:00) discuss at least one listener-nominated topic about each American League team that wasn’t previously covered on the show in 2025. Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to MLBTR on Rendon […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2420: The Stories We Missed in 2025 (NL Edition) Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a smattering of recent transactions and then (20:17) discuss at least one listener-nominated topic about each National League team that wasn’t previously covered on the podcast in 2025. Audio intro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Sean .P, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to MLB.com on Soderstrom Link to MLBTR […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2419: TJ and TK in Triple-A Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh talks to two pitchers who topped out at Triple-A in 2025, which was a demotion for one and a promotion for the other. First, he brings back Rangers pitcher Declan Cronin, the only major leaguer alum of Ben’s high school, to discuss a setback of a season that included a mysterious hip injury, […]

Effectively Wild Episode 2418: The Challenge System Challenge Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh, Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, and Joe Sheehan of The Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter break down teams’ last-minute Christmas shopping—including the White Sox signing Munetaka Murakami, the Padres signing Michael King and Sung Mun Song, the Orioles trading for Shane Baz, the Red Sox trading for Willson Contreras, a three-team trade involving the […]

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected