Effectively Wild: A Fangraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben and Sam talk to Kevin Goldstein about his life after leaving Baseball Prospectus to work for the Houston Astros, what he’s working on, and what he’s learned about how baseball teams work. Also, what he’s drinking.

Ben and Sam weigh in on the Rays-Royals trade involving James Shields and Wil Myers a day after the dust settles.

Ben and Sam discuss the Zack Greinke signing and the Dodgers’ astronomical payroll with Mike Petriello of Dodgers blog Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness.

Ben and Sam discuss Koji Uehara’s signing with the Red Sox and attempt to figure out why he doesn’t make more money and high-leverage appearances.

Ben and Sam recap Ben’s experiences on his first trip to the Winter Meetings.

Ben and Sam answer listener emails mostly (but not entirely) about things that happened on day two of the Winter Meetings.

Ben and Sam discuss the trade value of two of the players whose names were most often bandied about in rumors on the first day of the Winter Meetings.

Ben and Sam discuss and pick out the most interesting parts of Bob Elliott’s article on how the big Blue-Jays Marlins trade went down.

Ben and Sam discuss why prospect Alex Meyer isn’t the Twins’ usual type, then wonder why teams didn’t think Russell Martin was worth more than the Pirates paid him.

Ben and Sam break down the Braves’ signing of B.J. Upton and discuss the discrepancy between different appraisals of his value.

Ben and Sam answer listener emails about how the Reds might save some money on Aroldis Chapman, whether certain teams might benefit more from framing than others, and where we would rank Marvin Miller in the pantheon of important historical baseball figures.

Ben and Sam discuss Evan Longoria’s second extension and why players aren’t holding out for a bigger slice of the revenue pie.

Ben and Sam discuss what we can learn from the rumors that Royals prospect Wil Myers is available via trade.

Ben and Sam answer selected listener emails in a pre-Thanksgiving episode.

Ben and Sam discuss whether MLB’s Commissioner should have the power to block a trade, as Bud Selig considered doing to the Marlins-Blue Jays blockbuster.

Ben and Sam discuss whether Manny Acta’s lousy career win-loss record has any bearing on his likelihood of success if he becomes the Blue Jays’ manager.

Ben and Sam discuss the finding that Jose Molina’s receiving was worth 50 runs and talk about what it’s implications for baseball might be.

Ben and Sam answer listener emails about whether the Marlins or Astros will win more games in 2013, who’ll be the next retiring player to get the Chipper Jones treatment, when Yasmani Grandal will play for the Padres, and how the Angels should align their outfielders.

Ben and Sam break down the Marlins-Blue Jays trade from every angle, or at least all the angles that occurred to them at the time.

Ben and Sam discuss the Reds’ and Angels’ approaches to bullpen-building, how Cincinnati’s philosophy affects Aroldis Chapman’s future, and which way the wind is blowing where the closer role is concerned.