Effectively Wild Episode 2449: Season Preview Series – Mariners and Marlins
Date: March 6, 2026
Hosts: Ben Lindbergh, Meg Riley
Guests: Ryan Divish (Seattle Times), Christina DeNicola (MLB.com)

Episode Overview

This episode of Effectively Wild continues the annual season preview series, focusing on the Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins. The hosts—Ben Lindbergh and Meg Riley—are joined by Mariners beat writer Ryan Divish and Marlins reporter Christina DeNicola to deliver in-depth team breakdowns, key player discussions, organizational philosophies, and emerging storylines for each club ahead of the 2026 MLB season. Additional segments cover the latest baseball news, quirky stat blasts, and evolving trends in the sport.

Opening Banter & Baseball News (00:44–16:56)

Shohei Ohtani’s Impact in Japan

• Ben discusses clickbait PR emails and a YouGov survey that—unsurprisingly—confirms Shohei Ohtani drives MLB interest in Japan (00:44).
  • “Shohei Ohtani is driving MLB interest in Japan. I never would have known that if you had not surveyed a thousand representative Japanese sports fans.” — Ben (00:44)
• Ohtani’s dominance in Japanese fandom: 79% say he increases their interest in MLB, 78% rate him as a favorite, with other Japanese stars trailing far behind (03:04).
• Discussion of baseball’s cultural penetration in Japan, with 89% of Japanese sports fans expressing at least some interest in baseball (04:27).

Previews Coming Down the Homestretch

• The hosts note that only four preview pods remain—Opening Day is near, and WBC action has begun (05:10).

Spring Training Highlights

• Team USA’s lopsided WBC tune-up win over the Giants (15–1) and the Rockies’ recent pitching woes (06:00).
• Dominican Republic's explosive offense in a tune-up vs. the Tigers: “It was a real fun time. Juan Soto homered, and then Manny Machado homered, and then Junior Camino homered. The crowd lost it.” — Meg (07:09)

Andrew McCutcheon Signs with Texas Rangers

• McCutcheon leaves Pittsburgh for a minor league deal with the Rangers (08:04).
  • “It is sort of sad to see him not end his career in Pittsburgh... but I never fault anyone for just playing as long as you can.” — Ben (09:10)

The Statcast Heightgate: Measuring Up (10:33–25:19)

• Ongoing conversation about player height listings and Statcast’s new measurement system. Notable drop in Alex Bregman’s listed height over recent years (11:03).
  • “He’s lost another inch, Mick. He’s down to 5'10 now. It’s just still perhaps somewhat dubious. Getting closer.” — Ben (11:22)
• Meg’s take: “Just let him be listed at 5'10... I still think he might be 5’9, but officially can be none of my business anymore.” (11:48)
• Notably, Bo Naylor’s height dropped from 6'0" to 5'9" after finally being measured by Statcast; MLB confirmed the delay was due to his absence during last year’s measurement day (17:12, 20:00).
• Lighter banter: Database errors on The Athletic’s player pages listing Shohei Ohtani at "15'11", 95 lbs" and Aaron Judge at "16'9", 128 lbs" (21:42).

Trends & Insights: Fastball Incentives, Spring Routines, and Sliding Innovations (25:19–46:32)

Fuego T-Shirts: Rewarding Pitcher Velocity

• Red Sox giving out “Fuego” t-shirts to pitchers hitting 100+ mph—hosts voice discomfort with incentivizing max velocity in spring (25:19).
  • “I just, I don’t love the tradition of awarding something like trying to get guys competitive juices flowing even more... purely for just amping up the velo.” — Ben (27:19)

Why Does Spring Training Start So Early?

• Andrew Ball, former Astros AGM, shares in his substack why spring training days begin at dawn (28:46). Tradition, peer pressure, and lack of clear upside for starting later are the main reasons.

Dodgers’ Pitching Health & Outlook (33:18)

• Recap of the Dodgers’ superteam status, but real concern about mounting pitching injuries to Snell and others (35:32).
  • “It’s going to be a Dodgers-esque pitching staff again, with all that entails, the good and the bad.” — Ben (36:32)
• Depth is key—in a bad year, Dodgers still win 90+ games.

Sliding Innovation in MLB (40:00)

• Zach Kreiser’s study shows increasing prevalence of head-first and “creative” slides, likely influenced by replay review incentive (40:00).
  • “Players have gotten more inventive when it comes to sliding... In the past, if the ball beat you, you’d just accept your fate... now no one does.” — Ben (40:00)
  • “You look cool.” — Meg, on creative slides (44:52)

Mariners Preview with Ryan Divish (Seattle Times) (50:40–93:58)

Team Outlook, Culture, and Roster Depth

• Unprecedented optimism: “I have never once went in and said, this is a team that should win the division and probably play in the World Series if everything goes right... If these guys just play kind of to their standards, that’s as good as a team as I’ve ever covered.” — Ryan (51:21)
• Lineup is deep and consistent, especially vs. right-handed pitching (52:37).

Offseason Moves: Naylor & Donovan (53:19)

• Josh Naylor’s cult hero status and great fit: “He embraced being in Seattle, which a lot of guys that get there don’t, and it just all worked.” — Ryan (54:35)
  • Naylor actively wanted to re-sign quickly so the Mariners could pursue other targets, notably Brendan Donovan (54:35).
• Brendan Donovan brings needed versatility and culture fit (55:50).

Julio Rodríguez: Unlocking the Next Level (60:09)

• Maturity with approach and comfort in his identity at the plate should help address his signature slow starts.
  • “He stopped trying to pull the ball... his ability to drive the baseball to right center is special. And not a lot of guys can do that.” — Ryan (60:40)
• Potential for a 40/40 season if he maintains consistency.

Infield Prospects: Cole Young, Colt Emerson (63:28)

• Cole Young likely at 2B; Colt Emerson’s rise has outpaced projections but will probably start in AAA—will be first up if a need arises.
• Organizational adjustment to prospects outpacing expected timetables (64:01).

Cal Raleigh: Outlier Catcher Longevity & Power (65:50)

• 2025’s 60-home run season “will never be seen again”—a realistic power expectation is 40 homers, as he pushes to catch 130+ games (66:57).
  • “His favorite thing is: motion is lotion. The more he plays, the better he feels.” — Ryan (66:57)

Prospects and Next-Ups (69:08)

• Caden Anderson and Ryan Sloan (young, electric arms) expected to debut in 2026 or appear in relief during the postseason.

Rotation Health & Depth (70:59)

• Stress on healthy seasons from George Kirby (anticipated Cy Young finalist), Logan Gilbert (frontline stuff with injury), Brian Wu (breakout year), Luis Castillo (now likely in back end), and Bryce Miller (new treatment method for bone spurs) (74:31).
• Emerson Hancock and Cooper Criswell add depth.

Bullpen, Outfield, Extensions (78:30)

• Addition of Jose A. Ferrer (trade return for Harry Ford) bolsters lefty leverage arms.
• Outfield: Victor Robles and Luke Rayleigh to platoon in right; both coming off injury-affected seasons.
• Extension talk: Logan Gilbert most likely among rotation to sign long-term, but Mariners have been reluctant to go past six years for any player except Julio.

Dan Wilson’s Managerial Philosophy (85:26)

• Player empowerment, strong clubhouse leadership, but possibly too much trust in hitters/pitchers in tough spots.
  • “His biggest flaw... is that he trusts his players a little bit too much, that they're always going to come through and deliver.” — Ryan (86:03)

Defining Success for 2026 (88:37)

• “Getting to the World Series is the success that they expect... I look at them and I think they’re probably the most complete team in the American League. Now, that can change with injuries and such, but I look at them and I expect them to win the division.” — Ryan (89:18)

Marlins Preview with Christina DeNicola (MLB.com) (94:41–137:20)

2025 Recap & Offseason Approach (94:52)

• 17-win improvement in ‘25 moves organizational feeling to being ‘ahead of schedule’ despite being outscored and outperforming their peripherals (95:55).
• Offseason moves:
  • Pete Fairbanks signed to close.
  • Christopher Morel to play 1B.
  • Chris Paddack added for veteran rotation presence.
  • Notable: traded away starting pitchers Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers to add high-upside prospects and deepen the farm.

Key Trades: Cabrera & Weathers (98:27)

• Edward Cabrera traded at peak value for outfield prospect Owen Caissie, who’s likely a candidate for a starting role.
• Flipping Weathers (high-upside, injury-prone) for prospects, focusing on building sustainable depth in the system:
  • “Honestly, it’s flipping and getting more depth in the farm system, which... is deeper than it’s been in a while.” — Christina (101:11)

Outfield & Infield: Young Talent (101:58)

• Jacob Marsee: “Great plate discipline, probably more extra base hits and power than they were expecting... but 55 games is a small sample size.” — Christina (101:58)
• Kyle Stowers: Breakout in 2025 before injury. Should expect performance somewhere between previous extremes.
• Connor Norby (acquired from Baltimore): Competing with Graham Pauley for 3B—potential for a platoon if neither separates.

Catching: Present and Future, Pitch Calling Revolution (106:32)

• Augustine Ramirez gets start, but Joe Mack is the future: “You’re not going to call up Joe Mack to ride the bench. Like he would have to play almost like a consistent right. Like he’s that much of a difference maker behind the dish with his arm.”
• Controversial shift: Dugout calling pitches instead of the catcher—not widespread pushback due to team’s youth and inexperience.
  • “The idea is to give the catchers one less thing to worry about.” — Christina (107:12)
  • “If they really think there’s an edge to be gained there, then they will derive the first mover advantage from just having this perfect place to do it.” — Ben (115:48)

Position/Prospect Pipeline (116:22)

• Maximo Acosta (INF) and several AAA arms (Blalock, Mazur, Gusto) likely first up if injuries hit.
• AAA rotation will be deep due to MiLB acquisitions and returnees.

Rotation: Reclamation and Rebuilding (120:06)

• Sandy Alcantara still on the team: if healthy and performing, could be traded at the deadline if Marlins aren’t in contention.
  • “He added a sweeper that he’s trying out... but they’re tinkering with his arsenal and adding pitches rather than him just being like the sinker-changeup guy.” — Christina (120:45)
• Yuri Perez (the “Baby GOAT”) working back physically and with arsenal tweaks—primed to step forward in second year post-surgery (122:18).
• Max Meyer, Braxton Garrett, Chris Paddack must stay healthy and effective for the rotation to be stable and delay the arrival of top prospects Snelling and White.

Bullpen Construction (128:19)

• Pete Fairbanks as closer; setup/late-inning options: Calvin Eff, Anthony Bender, John King, Cade Gibson, Andrew Nardi, with a variety of multi-inning arms and wild cards (Michael Petersen).
• Janson Junk: swingman role, but behind others due to injury.

Payroll & Organization Priorities (131:02)

• Team focuses on investment in facilities, technology, and development more than player payroll; long-term hope is to extend core young players when feasible.
  • “Over the offseason there had been reports about... extending guys. That would be the avenue for the Marlins to spend money.” — Christina (132:20)

Defining Success for 2026 (134:23)

• Success: Continued positive trajectory, trending upwards from last year’s jump—aiming for development, not regression, and hoping to reach the deadline as buyers, not sellers.
  • “The key is whether they can keep trending upwards and not go from a 17 win improvement to then suddenly losing more games this year.” — Christina (134:37)
• In a division with the Braves, Mets, and Phillies, Marlins see themselves as potential ‘vibes’ leaders with a strong developmental core.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• (On Ohtani’s popularity in Japan) “Who knew? Yeah, who would have guessed that that was true?” — Ben (00:44)
• (On Mariners’ outlook) “It is so different... I have never once went in and said: this is a team that should win the division and probably play in the World Series if everything goes right.” — Ryan Divish (51:21)
• (On creative sliding) “Once something gets established as the analytically correct move, then it becomes standardized and everyone does it and then it's a little less interesting. So [Zach Kreiser] kind of wants it to remain in this zone where not everyone does the exact same move every time...” — Ben (43:41)
• (On Marlins’ pitch-calling experiment) “I sort of resent the Marlin for introducing it to mlb... but if they really think there’s an edge... they will derive the first mover advantage...” — Ben (115:48)
• (On defining success for the Mariners) “I expect them to win the division. It’s so weird saying this now...” — Ryan (89:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Shohei Ohtani in Japan: 00:44–05:16
• Spring Training fun/WBC/news: 05:16–08:04
• McCutcheon/Rangers news: 08:04–10:33
• Statcast height measurements story: 10:33–25:19
• Fuego shirts, pitcher velocity incentives: 25:19–28:40
• Why does spring start so early: 28:46–32:35
• Dodgers’ rotation health/expectation: 33:18–39:01
• Creative sliding/"slide meta": 40:00–46:32
• Mariners preview (Ryan Divish): 50:40–93:58
  • Offseason/Outlook: 50:40–54:02
  • Naylor/Donovan/Lineup: 53:19–60:09
  • Julio Rodriguez: 60:09–63:28
  • Infield/Cole Young/Colt Emerson: 63:28–65:50
  • Cal Raleigh & catching: 65:50–68:08
  • Prospects/Depth: 69:08–74:31
  • Rotation: 74:31–78:30
  • Bullpen/Outfield/Extensions: 78:30–85:26
  • Dan Wilson/Manager: 85:26–88:47
  • Success criteria: 88:47–93:58
• Marlins preview (Christina DeNicola): 94:41–137:20
  • 2025 recap/offseason approach: 94:52–98:27
  • Cabrera/Weathers trades: 98:27–101:11
  • Outfield/infield preview: 101:11–106:32
  • Catchers/pitch-calling: 106:32–116:22
  • Prospects/AAA: 116:22–120:06
  • Rotation/Sandy/Yuri: 120:06–128:19
  • Bullpen: 128:19–131:02
  • Payroll/Org focus: 131:02–134:23
  • Defining success: 134:23–137:20

Closing Nuggets

• The evolving "coach-on-the-field" dynamic: Brewers introducing dugout signal cards for ABS challenge system (137:39).
• The ongoing quest for quantifiable player individuality—whether with slides or with challenging calls—continues to shape the game.

For Mariners fans, this is the season to dream big. For Marlins fans, the focus is on development and sustainable growth, but don't count them out in a wacky NL East. For everyone, the quirks and evolutions of the 2026 season are well underway and as weird as ever.