Effectively Wild Episode 2409: Hindsight is 2025
Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley
4.8 • 2.6K Ratings
🗓️ 3 December 2025
⏱️ 105 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the John Brebbia and Devin Williams signings (in that order, obviously), share a few follow-ups, and (31:33) assess whether each team satisfied its season preview guest’s conditions for a successful year. Then (58:18) they answer emails about the origins of the concept of the “opposite field,” the meaning of the word “whiff,” how to refer to offseasons, whether umpires practice throwing, how much stock to place in regular-season wins without an accompanying championship, and two takes on the challenge system.
Audio intro: The Spaghettis, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Link to MLBTR on Brebbia
Link to Brebbia on EW
Link to minor league FA
Link to FG post on Williams
Link to present-value calc
Link to Petriello on Williams
Link to biggest 2025 ERA-FIP gaps
Link to contracts draft
Link to team SP projections
Link to Canadian currency details
Link to Metrodome demolition
Link to preseason team goals
Link to Dickson on “corner”
Link to Dickson on “opposite field”
Link to Dickson on “whiff”
Link to FG top 50 FA
Link to team wins since 2000
Link to Andrews on ABS and catchers
Link to Tango on ABS and catchers
Link to listener emails database
Link to MLBTR on Manoah
Link to MLBTR on Ponce
Link to Patreon gift subs
Link to Secret Santa sign-up
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | How are you? |
| 0:04.1 | I'm okay |
| 0:05.2 | We got so much to do delay |
| 0:08.8 | Breaking balls |
| 0:10.8 | And blaking snails |
| 0:12.6 | And those stats won't blast themselves |
| 0:16.0 | Effectively wild |
| 0:18.8 | Effectively wild Effectively wild Effectively Wild, Effectively Wild, Effectively Wild, Effectively Wild, Effectively podcast from Fangraphs, presented by our Patreon supporters. |
| 0:41.5 | I am Ben Lindberg of the Ringer, joined by Meg Rally of Fangraphs. |
| 0:45.5 | Hello, Meg. |
| 0:46.3 | Hello. |
| 0:47.3 | Another day, another episode, another massive reliever signing by a free agent. |
| 0:54.0 | I refer, of course, to the Colorado Rockies signing... massive reliever signing by a free agent. |
| 1:00.4 | I refer, of course, to the Colorado Rockies signing John Brebia to a minor league deal. |
| 1:03.0 | Oh, you got me, Ben. |
| 1:03.8 | You tricked me. |
| 1:07.4 | I was like, are we really describing Devin Williams' contract is massive? |
| 1:10.7 | Yeah, well, by free agent reliever standards. certainly much more massive than John Brebius' deal, |
| 1:15.3 | presumably, with the Rockies. |
| 1:16.8 | Haven't heard the terms on that one, but I'm going to guess that it's a little lower than |
| 1:21.4 | Devin Williams' deal with the Mets. |
| 1:23.4 | But happy to see him catch on. |
... |
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