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 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 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.
Ben and Sam discuss whether Josh Hamilton could end up signing a reasonable contract after all and talk about whether the Yankees can commit to and compete despite their goal to get under the luxury tax threshold by 2014.
Ben and Sam answer listener emails about the importance of coaches, defensive stats, and how we know whether pitchers should gain or lose weight, with guest appearances by Colin Wyers and Doug Thorburn.
Ben and Sam discuss what the Ervin Santana trade says about the Royals’ rotation and the pitching market, then talk about what Rick Hahn’s ascension to the GM role in Chicago means for the future of front offices.
Ben and Sam discuss the three-year deal the Dodgers gave Brandon League and reliever salaries in general, then talk about whether Gold Glove voters and advanced defensive stats agree more often than they used to.
Ben and Sam discuss the decisions the Angels are about to make concerning Dan Haren and Ervin Santana and talk about what their 2013 rotation will look like, then predict 2013’s division/World Series winners and last-place teams.
Ben and Sam discuss all the notable events from World Series Game Two, including Madison Bumgarner’s impressive outing, the line drive off of Doug Fister’s head, and Jim Leyland’s decision to play the infield back in the seventh, then assess the odds of a comeback by the Tigers.
Ben and Sam discuss the unpredictable outcome of World Series Game One and observe that Delmon Young is starting to look a lot like Stanley from The Office.
Ben and Sam discuss whether the NLCS performances of several players affected how they think about them or changed the narratives that followed them into the series.
Ben and Sam discuss how the postponement of Game Four hurt the Yankees, talk about how terrible at baseball Hunter Pence appears to be and whether he’s always looked like that, and conclude by revisiting the widespread anti-Cardinals sentiment among baseball fans and examining their own emotional allegiances.
Ben and Sam discuss whether Matt Holliday’s takeout slide at second was against the rules and why the Cardinals are so widely disliked, then talk about how Ryan Vogelsong has rewarded the Giants for their faith during a string of bad starts.
Ben and Sam catch up on the Yankees-Tigers ALCS and Ben’s beat-writing adventures, then talk about why players and stats disagree about the difficulty of pitching on short rest, and Jim Leyland’s comments about closers.
Ben and Sam catch up with the latest action developments in each of the just-completed or still-in-progress playoff series, then discuss Darren O’Day in greater depth.
Ben and Sam discuss Game Three of the Yankees-Orioles ALDS, the decision to pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez, and A-Rod’s future in New York, then talk about why the Stephen Strasburg debate won’t go away.
Ben and Sam bring on Jason Wojciechowski to discuss whether the 2-3 playoff format is the abomination he makes it out to be, then talk about how the A’s Game Three victory changes (or doesn’t change) their odds of beating the Tigers.
Ben and Sam talk to Not Jim Tracy about his resignation from the Rockies, then discuss how the narratives surrounding each playoff series have held up over the first few days of games.
Ben and Sam are joined by Marc Normandin, formerly of Baseball Prospectus and currently of SB Nation, to discuss which teams will win a World Series in the next five years, the changing role of beat writers, and Joe Saunders, the Orioles’ starter in tonight’s play-in game.
Ben and Sam join/are joined by Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs for a longest-ever episode about the worst predictions teams and players made about themselves, Bryce Harper’s historical significance, and the baseball players who led the league in our hearts in 2012. We talked for almost an hour, so adjust your commutes accordingly.
Ben and Sam discuss the Mariners’ decision to bring in (and lower) Safeco Field’s fences, then talk about what the seasons of Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Norichika Aoki say about the difficulty of projecting the performance of Japanese imports.
Ben and Sam discuss Jeff Luhnow’s plan to interview his players at the end of each season, then talk about why players and front-office executives are backing different candidates for AL MVP.
Ben and Sam discuss whether the second wild card has made the stretch run more exciting, then talk about why papers publish columns that criticize advanced stats without making an effort to understand them.
Ben and Sam discuss whether the A’s all-rookie rotation bodes well for their future, then talk about whether the average strikeout rate has risen too high.
Ben and Sam discuss the decline of Ubaldo Jimenez and whether the Rockies saw it coming when they sent him to Cleveland, then talk about the Angels’ off-season plans for Torii Hunter and Dan Haren.
Ben and Sam discuss what we can learn from Travis Snider’s revelations about his relationships with his former manager and hitting coach, then talk about whether they would bring Melky Cabrera back for the NLCS.
Ben and Sam revisit their discussion from last week on aces in October, talk about the new old Ichiro, and tell you more than you need to know about Orioles starter Steve Johnson.
Ben and Sam size up this winter’s free-agent first basemen and estimate how much money James Loney will make, then talk about whether the Dodgers’ pursuit of a playoff spot is leading to dangerous decisions.
Ben and Sam discuss whether Alex Anthopoulos is taking too long to turn around Toronto, then talk about why we can’t find the secret to success in October. Also, Sam drops his wedding ring.
Ben and Sam discuss whether teams will get creative with their Wild Card rosters, then talk about Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown chances and why we should care if he wins.
Ben and Sam discuss the Giants’ starting rotation and decide what it would take to trust Barry Zito, then talk about how they decide which teams to root for.
Ben and Sam discuss the state of the Brewers, which is a lot like the state of the Phillies, then talk about Max Scherzer’s long-awaited improvement and which team won the 2009 trade that brought him to Detroit.
Ben and Sam discuss whether the Phillies’ recent run of success should affect our expectations for the team in 2013, then talk about a potential scheme to get drafted pitchers into big-league bullpens quickly.
Ben and Sam thank their listeners for being more numerous than Astros fans who watch the team on TV, dissect Wilin Rosario’s defense, and pick the most likely candidates for 2013 Comeback Player of the Year.
Ben and Sam discuss Yadier Molina’s career year, catcher defense, and catcher aging, then talk about Omar Vizquel and the point at which clubhouse chemistry can’t cancel out poor on-field production.
