Effectively Wild Episode 2376: "No Spoilers"

Date: September 18, 2025
Hosts: Meg Rowley (FanGraphs), Ben Lindbergh (The Ringer)

Overview

This episode dives into the current state of the MLB playoff races with less than two weeks left in the regular season. Ben and Meg grapple with whether a lack of major movement in the playoff field makes for a boring or thrilling finish, discuss the quality of “mid” teams involved in wild card chases, digress into everything from the semantics of “a historic,” to salad preferences, and spotlight individual standout (and struggling) player performances. The tone is characteristically loose and conversational, with wit, skepticism, and a healthy amount of digressive fun.

Main Discussion Points

1. The Nature (and Value) of the 2025 Playoff Races

[00:29–10:31]

• "Are These Races Exciting Enough?"

  • Meg opens by wondering if this year’s playoff race is boring, since the roster of playoff contenders seemed cemented for weeks ([00:29]).
  • Despite the apparent lack of movement, there’s still suspense: teams are “nipping at the laggards’ heels,” and no one can be comfortable.
  • The reality: Even if standings haven’t changed, every few days the possibility of change looms, which is its own drama.
  • Ben confesses to finding it hard to separate his personal investment from the median fan’s experience ([02:06]).

• Notable Quote

  • Meg: “Is this a playoff race? Is this a pennant chase? ... I guess it is. Even though nothing really that surprising has happened yet.” [01:17]

• Mixed Bag Takeaway

  • Both agree the sense of drama exists, but depends highly on each fan’s rooting interests, and acknowledge “maybe it’s exactly the same as normal” ([05:06–08:36]).

• Macro Context

  • Ben warns against treating any one “mid” season as emblematic of baseball’s health, urging listeners not to “overreact to noise” ([10:31]).
  • The current playoff field, though perhaps lacking in super-teams, features compelling teams—there’s fun to be had nonetheless.

2. Wild Card Races & The Mid-Tier Team Focus

[12:56–19:47]

• Wild Card Jostling > Division Drama

  • The most intrigue now lies among wildcard hopefuls (Mets, Giants, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Guardians, etc.), not division titans ([12:56–14:25]).
  • Memories of collapses—recent and ancient—shape the emotional stakes for fanbases like the Mets and Mariners ([14:25–15:51])

• The Diamondbacks’ Curious Case

  • Diamondbacks, after being mid-season sellers, remain in the hunt—an “incredible story” if they manage back-to-back playoff surprises ([17:31]).
  • Ben hedges: “Maybe a short-lived good story,” given ongoing injuries—but still fun ([18:59]).

• Playoff Field Quality

  • Both hosts are satisfied with this particular potential set of playoff teams, even without clear “great” squads—predict parity, chaos, and drama ([24:04–24:58]).

3. Playoff Format Musings & Stakes

[24:58–28:09]

• Parity Over Super-Teams

  • Meg is “firmly in the camp” that not having true great teams increases her playoff excitement.
  • She’s optimistic this year will bring fewer arguments about the playoff format being “broken” since no team is overwhelmingly dominant.

• The “Suarez Situation”

  • Discussion of Eugenio Suarez’s trade and subsequent struggles; his lackluster performance hasn’t hurt Arizona, nor has he significantly helped Seattle—a testament to trade deadline unpredictability ([28:09]).

4. Mariners and Individual Performance Streaks

[28:09–33:49]

• Mariners’ Offensive Resurgence

  • Despite Suarez’s struggles, Julio Rodríguez's monster second half and others' surges have buoyed the team ([29:01]).
  • Ben jokes about the metaphoric “at-sea witch” pulling strings for the team’s fortune, tying in to Seattle’s streakiness ([30:10–31:03]).

• Contract Extensions That Clicked

  • Shout-outs to Cal Raleigh (Mariners) and Geraldo Perdomo (Diamondbacks) for outperforming expectations after team-friendly extensions ([31:03–33:49]).
  • Perdomo has gone from potential placeholder to All-Star-level shortstop, “top 10 in WAR in both of the wars" ([32:06–32:15]).

5. The Diamondbacks’ (and Perdomo’s) Ascension

[33:49–39:35]

• The Perdomo Love Fest
  • Ben praises Perdomo’s remarkable all-around year, clubhouse value, and “delightful” quirks (including a legendary Fall League double bird to the robo-ump) ([33:49–38:56]).
  • The D-backs’ infield flexibility bodes well for fitting together young talents like Lawlar, Alexander, and Perdomo.

6. The Zombie Runner & Playoff Impact

[39:35–43:31]

• Does the Zombie Runner Distort Playoff Fields?
  • Debate about whether the rule’s impact on extra-inning randomness unfairly shapes postseason races; Meg doesn’t mind as much, emphasizes extra inning randomness is a longstanding quirk.
  • Notable: Some anti-zombie-runner writers have argued these extra-inning outcomes “ruin” the postseason by determining who appears at all ([39:35]).
  • Example: Guardians’ strong record in extra innings.

7. Dodgers Rotation, Bullpen, and Playoff Build-Up

[43:31–56:43]

• Pitching Surplus & October Plans

  • The Dodgers, surprisingly, might enter the playoffs with their healthiest, deepest rotation in years (Yamamoto, Ohtani, Snell, Glasnow, Kershaw, Sheehan).
  • Bullpen remains a weak link; sub-replacement level production since August 2 ([43:31–46:34]).
  • Ohtani in relief? Discussed as an emergency option—roster rules complicate using him as both pitcher and DH ([47:47–50:34]).

• Mookie Betts’ Resurgence

  • Betts’ bat is “back to being Betts,” now paired with “above-average shortstop” defense ([61:39–64:07]).
  • Since August 5, Betts ranks among top-10 MLB hitters; Dodgers’ October hopes look brighter.

• Notable Quote

  • Meg: “If he can be above average shortstop plus the bat of Mookie Betts, well, that’s basically your best player in baseball or on the short list.” [63:39]

8. Young Stars & Rough Patches: Wood, Jones, & More

[65:48–75:51]

• Alvarez Out, James Wood & Spencer Jones Struggle
  • Yordan Alvarez’s ankle injury leaves the Astros lineup less fearsome ([65:48]).
  • James Wood’s early-season superstar trajectory has reversed: huge strikeout rate, potential fatigue or injury ([66:49–70:05]).
  • Yankees’ prospect Spencer Jones’ strikeout woes intensify in AAA—reinforces skepticism over his future ([72:55–75:51]).

9. George Springer Resurgence

[75:51–77:56]

• Toronto’s George Springer is having a career-best year, with an elite WRC+ and power resurgence, powering the Jays' division run ([76:05]).

10. Mariners "Etsy Witch" & Ben's Superstitions

[77:57–80:22]

• Meg and Ben joke about Mariners playoff voodoo magic, with Ben nervously appealing for continued good luck to the mythical “Etsy Witch.”
• The conversation devolves into praises of Eugenio Suarez’s hair and a tangent on salad preferences and how they reflect personality differences ([80:23–83:07]).

11. Playoff Scheduling & Spoiler Teams

[83:16–92:59]

• Desire for More Head-to-Head Drama

  • Meg laments the lack of season-ending, direct showdown series, wishing MLB could engineer more such matchups ([83:16–87:26]).
  • Discuss difficulties of tracking intricate tiebreakers post-Game 162.

• On Being a Spoiler

  • Rarely is playing spoiler truly satisfying for fans, unless denying a bitter rival. Mostly, it’s ephemeral—a “marshmallow” win ([89:32–91:44]).
  • Ben: “If that is ever a thing that the Mariners did. I don’t remember it specifically, that’s how cheating it was. Because the fact of the matter is they’re a playoff team and you’re not. And you’ve got to sit with that.” [89:22]

Notable Quotes

• On playoff races:
  “It’s just a bunch of teams that have been on the brink, and then every time they seem to just pick themselves up off the mat. ... So it seems like every time 10 for 10 for 10, not even hardly. ... It’s almost the hot streaks and the cold streaks have lined up or not lined up in such a way that there hasn’t actually been any movement in the makeup of the playoff field.” – Meg ([06:42])

• On the lasting value of October:
  “Despite the overall midness of the league this year, I do think that there are like fun teams that are set to play October baseball and this is maybe largely the group that I would be interested in seeing make the postseason. Even if perhaps I wish that the road to get there were a little more energetic...” – Ben ([19:47])

• On super teams and parity:
  “Not having great teams or super teams–that does nothing to make me less excited for the playoffs. In fact, I am more excited for the playoffs because we have a bunch of even matchups...” – Meg ([24:58])

• On spoiler satisfaction:
  “It’s meringue, it’s a marshmallow... you enjoy it for a moment and then an hour later you’re like, I need eggs or whatever, like some beans. I need beans. You need a piece of chicken. You know, protein. You need some protein. You need something that’s going to sustain you. You can’t be satiated by it... The only way to feel that feeling is to be a good team yourself.” – Ben ([90:02])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:29 – Meg’s opening on playoff race “vibes”
• 02:06 – Ben discusses separating personal and fan perspectives
• 10:31 – Why not to overreact to “boring” seasons
• 12:56 – Focus on mediocrity and wild card races, Mets & Mariners
• 17:31 – The Diamondbacks’ improbable playoff bid
• 24:58 – Parity and playoff excitement
• 28:09 – Trade deadline uncertainty (Eugenio Suarez)
• 31:03 – Contract extension wins: Cal Raleigh and Geraldo Perdomo
• 39:35 – Zombie runner’s effect on playoffs and playoff berths
• 43:31 – Dodgers’ current rotation/bullpen situations and playoff implications
• 61:39 – Mookie Betts' bounce-back, and his two-way value
• 65:48 – George Springer’s career year & young “giant” players’ struggles
• 75:51 – George Springer appreciation
• 77:57 – Mariners, superstitions, and “Etsy Witch” magic
• 83:16 – Scheduling, lack of head-to-head drama, and mathematical tiebreakers
• 89:22 – On being a fan of a “spoiler” team
• 93:01 – Listener follow-ups and closing thoughts

Memorable Moments

• Suarez as Mariners’ “at-sea witch” ([30:10])
• Extended riff on “a historic” vs. “an historic” ([05:06])
• Ben’s strong opinions on salad, culminating in Meg’s “that’s where the bidet comes in handy” ([83:07])
• Wistful pondering of more meaningful final-week schedule matchups ([83:16])

Takeaways

• While 2025 may lack seismic late-season changes, the ever-present whiff of drama keeps the hosts (and, they suggest, the rest of baseball fandom) at least entertained and nervous.
• The parity of this year’s likely playoff field—no dominant juggernauts—makes the postseason more exciting for Meg (and probably Ben).
• Player performances and team fortunes this year underscore unpredictability in baseball and the importance of both breakthrough contracts and “mid” teams.
• Expect postseason chaos, a healthy fear of the “Etsy Witch,” and many more season-end podcasts parsing the thin differences shaping October baseball.