Effectively Wild Episode 2415: Catch if You Can

Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Ben Lindbergh (The Ringer), Meg Rowley (FanGraphs)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ben and Meg discuss a range of recent MLB transactions and rumors during a slow news cycle, then turn their attention to listener mailbag questions on topics both timely and delightfully esoteric. The major league free agent market, prospect swaps, team ownership changes, and baseball vocabulary quirks are all part of the lively mix, with both hosts lending their characteristic wit and depth of analysis.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. MLB Transactions: Offseason Moves & Reactions

Hasan Kim signs with Atlanta Braves

• Deal: 1 year, $20 million; coming off a significant injury history but with prior strong performance.
• Analysis:
  • Braves finally spending "real money" at shortstop after the Dansby Swanson era.
  • Two interpretations:
    1. Positive: The Braves are trying to shore up a persistent hole in the lineup with a player who has shown real value (3-4 WAR at his peak).
    2. Skeptical: The move feels riskier than expected and could be seen as relying on bounce-back potential rather than signing a surer bet.
  • Noted underlying metrics (e.g., still impacting the ball, arm strength) possibly support optimism for a return to form.
  • Kim's only 30, and if he shows he's healthy, Atlanta might pursue a longer-term deal.
  • Market scarcity at shortstop helped boost his value.
  • Quote Meg (05:02): "I love the idea of him and [Jurickson] Profar being back together, as we speculated in ways that could call irresponsible."
  • Quote Ben (03:23): “He started hot, he was hitting well, and then he sort of slumped… And now the Braves have brought him back after getting a good look at him for a month for 20 million bucks. Yeah, that kind of made me do a double take.”

Adrian Houser to San Francisco Giants

• Deal: 2 years, $22 million.
• Analysis:
  • Not a top-50 free agent, but his price signals a possible adjustment in the market's “price per win.”
  • Typical back-of-the-rotation starter; “semi-dependable, if unexciting.”
  • Giants’ rotation depth had projected as thin by various models.
  • Quote Ben (12:30): “22 mil, that's a lot too, for someone who couldn't crack a top 50 free agents list in a weak class.”

Red Sox–Nationals One-for-One Pitching Prospect Swap

• Players:
  • Luis Perales (RHP, to Washington)
  • Jake Bennett (LHP, to Boston)
• Unique Aspects:
  • Rarity of true one-for-one swaps, especially of pitchers.
  • Both teams’ new leadership and recent staff changes played a role (several ex-Red Sox now with the Nationals).
  • Discussion on front offices reacquiring "their guys" and the biases that may come into play.
  • Quote Ben (15:50): “It’s rare that you get a one for one prospect swap. And even rarer probably, that you get a one for one prospect swap at the same position.”

Minor Moves & Market Context

• Listeners are reminded the market is weak, especially at certain positions, influencing both price and perception.
• Discussion of international players returning from NPB/KBO (e.g., Foster Griffin).

2. Minnesota Twins Ownership Update

• News: Polad family nearing completion of a partial sale (minority partnerships) to restore financial footing.
• Implications:
  • Reduces team debt, could pave the way for a future sale, and dilutes Polad authority.
  • Discussion on the broader trend: Nationals and Angels also took teams briefly off the market.
• Quote Ben (30:12): “If you get more money and a dilution of the pollads’ power, then probably that can't be a bad thing.”

Listener Mailbag Highlights

Naming Baseball’s First Pitch

Does ‘pitch off’ have a place in baseball vocabulary?

• General consensus: No need for conformity to other sports ("kickoff," "tip-off").
• First pitch is unique to baseball and makes sense given the action described.
• Quote Meg (34:41): “Why does it have to all be the same?... Pitch off doesn't make sense.”
• Fun side discussion on sports terminology and the uniqueness of the game.

Value of a Cool Nickname

How much is a good nickname worth to a player?

• Nicknames can enhance marketability, increase jersey sales, and build fan connections.
• Examples: Nacho Alvarez (“Not everyone's named Nacho.”), “Big Dumper” (Cal Raleigh).
• Hosts note it’s usually most effective when organically bestowed.
• Quote Meg (47:40): “Cal Raleigh had like an MVP caliber season, so that did a lot of the work. But like you telling me that he would have gotten quite as much attention as he did if he hadn't also had the nickname of Big Dumper? No chance.”

Evaluating Stats by Quality of Opposition

Should WAR account for pitcher/batter quality?

• Teams and analysts do look at context (velocity, pitch type, quality of opposition), but it’s not fully reflected in popular public metrics.
• WAR remains intentionally “simple” and should not churn in every granular metric.
• Playoff context sometimes influences valuation (e.g., Schwarber as durable vs. velocity).
• Quote Ben (58:39): “I do sometimes wish that WAR stats accounted more for quality of opponent…”

Is The Wizard of Oz a Baseball Movie?

• Discusses “bust in the hall of Fame” lyric—not a baseball reference, but to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.
• Fun side tangent on whether Munchkins play baseball.

Pete Rose and the Hall of Fame

• Should the Hall of Fame alter rules to permanently ban anyone ever on the ineligible list?
• Both hosts agree such a rule would be unfairly targeted—let voters/committees reckon with ethics and the full case.
• Broad point on how much the Hall "should" mean and the messiness of its traditions.
• Quote Meg (74:53): “I think that voters should have to be responsible for their own vote and they should have to grapple with difficult cases.”

Dugout Vantage Point: Can Managers "See" Pitches?

• Managers largely base reactions on context and player reactions; dugout angle is poor for balls/strikes, especially inside/outside.
• The performance is as much theater as honest dispute.

Hypotheticals: Rule Changes

Running-Start Pitchers

• If pitchers could take a running start (but must still deliver from the mound/rubber), would they?
  • Unlikely; loss of control and increased risk/funniness overwhelm possible velocity gain.
  • Comparison to cricket/bowler action if unrestricted.

Moving the Catcher Back

• Could create more offense/balls in play, but major drawbacks: more wild pitches, longer games, less effective defense, and greater umpire error.
• Hosts prefer direct solutions (e.g., moving mound back, roster rules) to encourage more contact and action.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Ben on Atlanta’s shortstop hole: “Only the Rockies and the Guardians got less production out of shortstop than Atlanta at 0.4 WAR. So you gotta figure Hassan Kim can improve upon that.” (09:35)
• Meg on the risk of the Kim signing: “I think it is a little riskier than I was anticipating them being open to, just given how bad that position has been.” (08:34)
• Ben on perspective and rules history: “You can never have enough pitching, which is a saying that I coined.” (15:05)
• Meg re: Munchkins’ baseball knowledge: "What frame of reference do Munchkins have for baseball?" (66:09)
• Ben on nicknames: “It usually has to just develop. And you can't give yourself a really memorable legendary one.” (54:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Atlanta signs Hasan Kim: 02:00–11:29
• Giants sign Adrian Houser: 12:07–15:41
• Red Sox–Nationals prospect swap: 15:50–28:15
• Twins partial sale: 28:15–33:59
• Mailbag – First pitch vocabulary: 34:40–42:24
• Mailbag – Value of nicknames: 43:11–54:37
• Mailbag – Quality of opposition in metrics: 56:59–63:01
• Mailbag – Wizard of Oz a baseball movie?: 63:01–68:28
• Mailbag – Pete Rose & Hall of Fame policy: 68:57–80:22
• Mailbag – Can managers see from dugout?: 80:22–84:17
• Mailbag – Running-start pitcher hypothetical: 84:43–88:43
• Mailbag – Move the catcher back?: 88:44–98:19

Tone and Language

• Conversational, often self-deprecating and humorous.
• In-depth, with careful attention to player roles, statistical nuances, and league context.
• Willingness to follow tangents, puns, and esoteric baseball traditions (e.g., dugout sight lines and the legacy of the Munchkins).

Takeaway

A classic Effectively Wild mailbag episode: granular, playful, and wide-ranging, with sharp analysis of offseason moves, the ever-shifting value of players and prospects, and whimsical explorations of baseball language and hypotheticals. For anyone missing baseball’s daily energy, the detailed discussion and banter are the next best thing.