Effectively Wild Episode 2432: What Stars Deserve
FanGraphs Baseball Podcast – January 28, 2026
Hosts: Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, (Guest co-host: Julia Poe)
Main Theme:
Exploring what teams owe their franchise legends, current and former players' social and political voices, baseball's place in Jeopardy and pop culture, and trends in fan-favorite transactions and wellness fads among MLB stars.

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the intersection of baseball, activism, and fandom, centering on recent player transactions, the nuances of long-term extensions for baseball stars, and the ever-present tension between on-field performance and off-field legacy. The hosts also welcome Zach Golin for a Stat Blast exploring baseball’s overrepresentation on Jeopardy! and its implications for trivia fans and pop culture.

Acknowledging the World Beyond Baseball

00:40 – 07:03

• Opening with Empathy: Before jumping into baseball, Ben and the team provide a heartfelt acknowledgment of current real-world horrors, especially those affecting local communities (ICE and DHS actions, specific individuals harmed, etc.).
  • Notable Quote (Ben, 01:00):
    “We see you protecting your neighbors. We see you organizing and documenting and bearing witness to all the horror that's going on in your city … Your courage gives us courage, because these people want us all to feel afraid and alone. And we aren't.”
• Segues into Sports: The hosts discuss the challenge of balancing sports as escapism and distraction with the importance of recognizing ongoing societal distress.
  • Notable Quote (Julia, 04:02):
    “There's a fine line between a useful distraction and an actual distracting distraction.”

Athlete Activism and Baseball’s Quietude

07:11 – 16:57

• Comparative Silence in Baseball: The team highlights baseball’s relative lack of public activism compared to sports like the NBA and WNBA.
  • Reference to recent research showing demographics and political skews in the fandom and why many players stay silent.
• Spotlight: Cole Calhoun’s Surprising Statement
  • Julia and Meg discuss Cole Calhoun’s unexpected, impassioned IG statement about immigration and racism.
    • Calhoun’s perspective: In baseball, players from diverse backgrounds share the clubhouse, but there’s a culture of not speaking out, partly due to lack of information or clubhouse dynamics.
    • Direct condemnation by Calhoun of current administration's policies:
      Notable Quote (Julia paraphrasing Calhoun, 10:06):
      “What this administration is doing when it comes to immigration is blatantly racist. Targeting people based on the color of their skin or the sound of their last name.”
  • Discussion of privilege and risks for foreign-born players taking public stands.
  • The hosts’ admiration for those who “find their voice” even if they’re late to activism—because diversity of messengers can matter.

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous: Baseball Injury Banter & Off-Field Fads

17:15 – 39:57

Carlos Rodón’s Elbow “They Took a Lot of Bones Out”

17:48 – 21:53

• Medical Marvels and Player Interview Fun:
  • Carlos Rodón bemusedly updates on elbow surgery: “They took a lot of bones out, but it's better now.”
    • Hosts riff on the phrase, imagining him as “newly boneless” and joke about “loose bodies” in the elbow.

Bryce Harper’s Wellness Adventures

22:14 – 31:57

• Bryce Harper’s Notorious Instagram:
  • Ongoing critique of Harper’s “pseudoscientific” health habits—blood ozone treatments, raw milk, and now, red light therapy mats.
  • Conspiracy posts: Harper’s shares about chemtrails and “cloud seeding”, exemplifying the odd info-ecosystem some athletes inhabit.
  • Discussion on athlete vulnerability to expensive or dubious health fads as they seek edge or longevity.

Mike Trout Joins the Wellness Item Endorsement Game

33:08 – 39:46

• Mike Trout’s “Amortal” Chamber Investment:
  • Trout’s new role as ambassador/investor in an expensive (>$159,000) “infrared EMF” wellness device.
  • Satirical breakdown of its extravagant marketing (“used by MLB, goop, etc.”), testimonials, and vague health claims.
  • Hosts muse on the intersection of self-care, faddism, wealth, and the influence on less skeptical fans.

Transactions and Franchise Building

40:39 – 48:38

Giants Sign Harrison Bader

40:46 – 47:05

• Deal Details:
  • Two-year, $20.5M contract—seen as a “very Giants” move.
• Reaction:
  • Both surprised Bader didn’t get more, given his previous season.
  • A boost for the Giants’ defense, especially in center; hosts discuss platoon use and need for more “blue-chip” internally developed stars.
  • Echoed theme: Giants solid but unexciting offseason, and how lacking a core of homegrown stars limits their upside.

What Do Teams Owe Their Franchise Legends (and Vice Versa)?

48:04 – 85:33

1. Jose Ramirez’s New Extension with Cleveland

48:38 – 70:09

• Deal Structure:
  • Extends Ramirez through 2032, with financial deferrals extending through 2051 (“Jose Day” replacing Bobby Bonilla Day).
• Player/Franchise Loyalty:
  • Ramirez prioritizes staying in Cleveland for family and community, even at below-market value.
    • Notable Quote (Ramirez via Meg, 55:11):
      “I knew it wasn't fully reflective of my market value…But my heart was set on staying in Cleveland.”
• Moral Dilemmas:
  • Meg expresses conflict: happiness for Ramirez’s comfort vs. frustration that “parsimonious” ownership continues benefiting from under-market deals, which may suppress wider player earnings.
  • Pragmatics: In some markets, only “Jersey Guys” (lifelong franchise players) like Ramirez can extract even modestly competitive wages.
  • Emotional resonance: The joy and specialness of a star spending an entire career in one city.
  • Discussion about Ramirez’s statistical greatness, durability, and value vs. earned compensation—$460+ million in estimated career WAR value vs. much less in salary.
  • Reflection on “legacy over money” paths and how they shape franchise narratives.

2. Andrew McCutchen and the End-of-Career Dilemma

70:09 – 85:33

• The Snub:
  • Andrew McCutchen, franchise icon, is not invited to Pirates FanFest; GM Ben Charrington signals Kutch likely will not return.
    • Notable Quote (McCutchen tweet, 72:41):
      “If this is my last year, it would have been nice to meet the fans one last time as a player…This is bigger than baseball … The fans deserved at the very least to get that opportunity.”
  • Hosts dissect the complexities: when does honoring a star’s past take a roster spot from progress? How much does a franchise owe its living legends?
    • Balanced views: It is a “business,” and the player is now replacement-level; but poor communication/public relations can mar a relationship unnecessarily.
  • Comparison to other “farewell tours” (Ortiz, Pujols, Miggy, Kershaw, etc.)
  • The solution: More often, a frank but kind plan to honor the past (e.g. special assistant role) after playing days.

Stat Blast: Is Baseball Overrepresented in Jeopardy! Questions?

86:22 – 106:17

Guest: Zach Golin (Defector, Jeopardy/Pop Culture Jeopardy champion, data scientist)

Topic:

• Does Jeopardy! focus more on baseball than other sports, compared to pop culture and crossword puzzles?

Key Insights & Timestamps:

• Jeopardy! Sports Pop Quiz:
  • “The more popular things are better known…the sports was, by percent correct, the third-best in the data…” (Zach, 89:32)
  • Sports are about 2–3% of all Jeopardy questions, thousands over the decades.
• Baseball’s Dominance:
  • Confirmed: baseball comes first among sports questions (20–25%), closely followed by football, with Olympics also high.
  • Reasons: Baseball’s long history, statistical culture, and American mythos lead to durable, easy-to-ask trivia (e.g., Babe Ruth, Yankees, etc.).
  • Basketball is consistently fourth; other sports are marginal.
    • “It’s really Yankees, Red Sox, and then everybody else.” (Zach, 104:09)
• Depth and Repetition:
  • Hardly ever asks about deep cuts, very much “a mile wide, inch deep.”
  • Even stars like Shohei Ohtani come up “about once a year.”
• Preparation Advice:
  • “Listening to Effectively Wild is probably not the best preparation for any aspiring Jeopardy! winner…But for Sports Jeopardy? That’s another story.” (Zach, 104:59)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Baseball Activism:
  “I do think it takes some small amount of courage in the baseball ecosystem to say something. … But I guess the actual minimum is nothing. And most people at baseball do nothing.” – Meg (06:48)
• On Risk for Foreign-Born Players:
  “If a foreign born player here on a visa were to be very vocal, I think the chances of him getting his visa revoked are probably pretty low…but they're not zero.” – Ben (13:21)
• On Medical Banter:
  “They took a bunch of bones out and now it works better because the problematic bones are gone. … So nothing to see here.” – Meg (18:54)
• On Fads in Player Wellness:
  “When you have as much money as Bryce Harper … you just start reaching for anything out there.” – Julia (29:45)
• On Franchise Legends:
  “A lovely thing when a player can spend his whole career in one city with one team and be beloved … but I don’t think players owe a discount to their team or the fans.” – Meg (70:09)
• On Pittsburgh Not Inviting McCutchen:
  “He’s a franchise icon. … He can just come to FanFest, right?” – Ben (77:39)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Opening Statement: Real-world context | 00:40–07:03 | | Athlete Activism/Cole Calhoun | 07:11–16:57 | | Carlos Rodón’s Medical Update | 17:48–21:53 | | Bryce Harper & Wellness Fads | 22:14–31:57 | | Mike Trout’s “Amortal” Chamber | 33:08–39:46 | | Giants’ Harrison Bader Signing | 40:46–47:05 | | Jose Ramirez’s Guardians Extension | 48:38–70:09 | | Andrew McCutchen’s Endgame with Pirates | 70:09–85:33 | | Stat Blast: Baseball & Jeopardy! (Zach Golin) | 86:22–106:17 |

Episode Takeaways

• Baseball is both a robust distraction in turbulent times and a reflection of those times, through its politics, personalities, and myths.
• Teams and players must continuously renegotiate the meaning of loyalty, compensation, legacy, and mutual obligation—especially as stars age or seek new roles.
• Baseball retains an outsized place in US trivia, culture, and myth despite changing sports popularity.
• Fandom and player self-care both intersect and diverge in sometimes comical, sometimes sobering ways (wellness fads, role transitions).

For New Listeners:
This episode typifies Effectively Wild’s thoughtful blend of acute baseball analysis, human empathy, and playful banter—touching on news, numbers, culture, and heart with a sharp yet generous eye.