Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast · Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley

Effectively Wild Episode 2440: Season Preview Series: Orioles and Padres

·2 hr 20 min·5 clips

A former MLB player just posted a handwritten four-page farewell letter on Instagram explaining 'the Miami incident' that got him in trouble.

The episode opens with hosts Meg Raleigh and Ben Lindberg discussing the concerning number of injuries that emerged at the start of spring training 2024, including hamate bone injuries to Francisco Lindor, Jackson Holiday, and Corbin Carroll, among others. They note this represents an unusual concentration of injury announcements right at camp's beginning. The conversation shifts to various baseball oddities, starting with Nick Castellanos being released by the Phillies and subsequently posting a four-page handwritten Instagram letter explaining 'the Miami incident' that created tension with manager Rob Thompson. They discuss the hierarchy of Phillies weirdness, comparing this to Bryce Harper's raw milk consumption and other team eccentricities. The hosts then delve into Zach Wheeler keeping his surgically removed rib from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, leading to a broader discussion about patients keeping body parts after medical procedures. They cover the White Sox situation where GM Chris Getz has repeatedly referred to new player Luis Angel Acuna as a switch hitter when he only bats right-handed, questioning whether this represents a genuine mistake or misunderstanding that could concern fans about organizational competence. The episode touches on MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's comments about exploring partnerships with prediction markets and his explanation of why Emmanuel Clase's violations weren't caught sooner. They express frustration with the current volume of salary cap coverage in baseball media, arguing that while important, the repetitive speculation serves little purpose when actual negotiations are still months away. The hosts note the inevitability discourse around a potential lockout and how it's casting a shadow over the season before it begins. They transition to team previews, beginning with the Baltimore Orioles and guest Andy Kostka from the Baltimore Banner, who discusses the team's aggressive offseason spending, including the five-year, $155 million deal for Pete Alonso, while noting they failed to achieve their stated goal of adding a frontline starting pitcher.

As heard by us

A spring preview that keeps health at the center instead of treating it like a footnote.

Effectively Wild uses its Orioles and Padres preview to do what it does best: treat spring optimism as provisional and test it in real time. Zach Eflin's back surgery, Baltimore's rotation puzzle, and Nick Pivetta's steadier year in San Diego give the discussion a useful frame,…

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Why you'd press play

You want Orioles-Padres rotation talk that starts with bird bones and ends in actual pitching math.

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