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• Effectively Wild Episode 2268: The 2025 Minor League Free Agent Draft

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Ben Clemens banter about the Giants signing Justin Verlander, a plateau in leaguewide slider usage, and why spending on free agents has exceeded expectations so far. Then (20:55) they continue a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the 12th annual Effectively Wild Minor League Free Agent Draft, in which they select […]...2025
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• Outside The Confines: Justin Verlander is a Giant

Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images The remaining free agents are starting to move. With just over a month left until pitchers and catchers report, we now know where one specific pitcher will be reporting in February, and that’s Justin Verlander. The three-time Cy Young winner who most recently played with the Houston Astros and has battled injury for the last several seasons, will now be he...2025
Visit the page Justin Verlander breaking news today
• Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat – 1/6/25
2025
• Outside The Confines: Swinging into the new year

Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images A few minor moves. What is yet to be done this winter. A visit to Cooperstown and other news from around MLB. Good morning. The Dodgers have signed infielder Hyeseong Kim on a three-year, 12.5 million deal. Kim had been posted by the Kiwoom Heroes of KBO. The Orioles have signed right-hander Charlie Morton to a one-year, $15 million deal. First off, c...2025
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• Outside The Confines: The Hall of Fame debates are on

Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images Who should get in? Who gets overlooked? The chatter is hot. The hot stove is certainly still hot as we head into the first month of the new year. Impossibly, Spring Training starts next month, which is wild to think about, but also very exciting. It does mean that teams are going to have to make some serious decisions as the available pool...2025
Visit the page Mary DeCicco
• Outside The Confines: The end of 2024

Photo by Agit Erdi Ulukaya/Anadolu via Getty Images Join us for some end of year baseball news. Happy Monday, everyone! It’s the last Outside The Confines of 2024, and there’s been some quiet movement around baseball over the holiday week. Shohei Ohtani made a major announcement; Corbin Burnes is getting nicely paid by Arizona; MLB dot com picks some realistic free agents for every team, a...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Justin Verlander is a Giant
2025

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• Outside The Confines: Juan Soto tops the free agent market

Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images But what will it take to sign him? There are plenty of big names out there who have now hit the free agent market, but likely none is bigger than Yankees’ slugger Juan Soto. Soto, agented by Scott Boras, is sure to fetch a tidy sum, and plenty of teams are already making overtures to try and get him on their roster. Al will have m...2024
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• Effectively Wild Episode 2241: The Most Fascinating Free Agents and Offseason Storylines
Ben Lindbergh and FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens banter about the latest batch of Scott Boras puns, position changes for Willson Contreras and Mookie Betts, surgery for Shohei Ohtani, Skip Schumaker’s move to Texas, and Buster Posey’s front-office philosophy, then (47:21) discuss Other Ben’s top 50 free agents list—focusing on Juan Soto, Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, […]...2024
Check it out Ben Lindbergh injuries
• Braves News: Chris Sale rakes in awards, Dodgers take control, with a cost, more

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images Atlanta Braves news and notes from Saturday The Braves’ likely Cy Young winner continues to rake in awards for one of his best seasons, as he hugely bolstered his Hall of Fame case. If you go by JAWS, Sale is within the realm of Hall of Famers, but he probably needs a couple more quality seasons to solidify himself in the hall. He is solidly below av...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Goodbye to a legend

Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela passes away. A World Series preview and other MLB news. We were all set to celebrate the World Series and the first Yankees/Dodgers Fall Classic since 1981. But first, we have to say goodbye to one of the heroes of that World Series of 43 years ago. The Los Angeles Dodgers mourn the passing of legendary pitcher Fern...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Bad blood

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Bad blood reigns in the Dodgers/Padres series. The Tigers shocked the Guardians. And other news from around the playoffs. Good morning. I suppose it’s a good morning if you’re a Mets or Padres fan. I assume you know the scores of those games yesterday, so I’m not linking to any game recaps. I will link to the brouhaha that took place at Dodger Stadium durin...2024
Read about Dodger Stadium availability report
• Outside The Confines: A long-awaited debut for Kumar Rocker

Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images The player is poised to make history as he prepares to make his debut. Happy Friday, everyone! We’re halfway through September, which means we only have two full weeks of regular season baseball left. There are still some questions about who will slot in for the wild card spots, and some teams who are poised to win their divisions might want to worry a bi...2024
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• Outside The Confines: South Side blues

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports The White Sox fired their manager as they challenge for the all-time record for losses. And other news from around MLB. A leaked script from Major League 4. Jerry Reinsdorf: Here are a list of candidates for the new White Sox manager. Chris Getz: I’ve never heard of half of these guys and the ones I do know are way past their prime. Ozzie Guillen, Jim Leyland, To...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Off to a flying start

Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images A look at trends to start the season, like Mike Trout is back. The fans who fought back against the A’s. And other news from MLB. Good morning. No big stories today, but lots of little ones. Dan Moore has a strong piece on the fan groups that have fought against the Athletics leaving Oakland (and some historical precedents elsewhere) and the dilemma of...2024
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• Outside The Confines: The Yankees bid farewell to John Sterling

Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images The iconic radio voice of the team announced his sudden departure this week. On Monday, with no preamble, the Yankees announced that their long-time radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling was calling it a career, and his last game in the booth was behind him. The 85-year-old called 5,420 regular season games over his long career. Sterling cited the s...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Shohei Ohtani’s surprise wedding

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports The superstar posted the news to social media. Surprise! Shohei Ohtani has tied the knot, and for someone worth nearly a billion dollars, and a superstar athlete in both his native Japan and his present home of the US, one might expect some high-profile nuptials, but instead Ohtani has kept his wedding relatively quiet. Ohtani has married a woman from Japan ...2024
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• Chin Music, Episode 26: That’s a Cat Going Crazy
I’m back from vacation and so is co-host Ben Clemens, so let’s podcast again, shall we? We begin by talking about the good and the bad from the Field Of Dreams game, some silly comments from Mets management about player injuries, and why MLB (and everyone else for that matter) should avoid partnering with Barstool […]...2021
• Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat – 8/9/21
Back from vacation, it's time for another chat. Want to banter about the Mets' meltdown or whatever else catches your eye? Let's talk about it!...2021

2025
"Ben Clemens breaks down a pair of Yankees acquisitions, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and reliever Fernando Cruz."

2024
"Ben Clemens is already wondering why this season’s bad teams are SO bad, and the season hasn’t even started yet."

2023
"FanGraphs has looked at this periodically and for the 2022 season, Ben Clemens used their methodology to estimate that teams were paying $8."

2022
"At least one analyst I trust believes in the breakout, Ben Clemens at FanGraphs looked at Swanson’s ZiPs projections and percentile outcomes going forward."

2021
"The most significant players to hit the open market this offseason, as compiled by Ben Clemens and the FanGraphs staff."

• Effectively Wild Episode 2268: The 2025 Minor League Free Agent Draft
2025

Check it out Ben Lindbergh
• Outside The Confines: Justin Verlander is a Giant
2025

See more Justin Verlander salary
• Outside The Confines: Swinging into the new year
2025

Check it out Hyeseong Kim contract
• Outside The Confines: The Hall of Fame debates are on
2025

Visit the page Mary DeCicco
• Outside The Confines: The end of 2024
2024

Continue with Shohei Ohtani contract
• Outside The Confines: Blake Snell is the first to go

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images The hot stove means we know big changes are coming to some teams. Hot stove season means we know that a lot of changes will be coming to teams around baseball, either by offloading talent to save money and stock up the farm system, or attempting to bolster their rosters and make a run for the 2025 offseason. Blake Snell signed a deal late...2024
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• Effectively Wild Episode 2249: Our Bold Preseason Predictions, Revisited
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, Ben Clemens, Michael Baumann, and podcast scorekeeper Chris Hanel convene to play “College Baseball Player or Fictional Republican Politician?” and reveal the victors of the 2024 minor league free agent draft and bold preseason predictions game, including recaps of each prediction. Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio ...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Juan Soto tops the free agent market
2024

Check it out Juan Soto contract
• Effectively Wild Episode 2241: The Most Fascinating Free Agents and Offseason Storylines
2024

See more articles Ben Lindbergh salary rumors
• The Royals should seriously pursue Jurickson Profar this offseason

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images Profar’s 2024 season was not a fluke, and the Royals need someone like him in the outfield. I wanted to look at the best fit for the Royals in free agency, but this article is running on a few assumptions. The first assumption is that the Royals will not be playing in the deepest end of the free agency pool. I would love to see Juan Soto,...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Juan Soto tops the free agent market
2024

Check it out Juan Soto statistics
• The Royals should seriously pursue Jurickson Profar this offseason
2024

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• Outside The Confines: Stayin’ alive!

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images The Yankees' slump was one for the ages, but they still have a chance. The World Series seems as if it only just started, and now it might just get interesting. Don’t call it a comeback! But do call it a comeback. Lots of experts had all but counted the Yankees out after a 3-0 Series start from the Dodgers. Despite a slumping performance ...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Bad blood
2024

Read about Dodger Stadium stats
• Effectively Wild Episode 2225: The White Sox Unfun-Fact-Off
In (dis)honor of the 2024 White Sox displacing the 1962 Mets atop the modern-era single-season losses leaderboard, Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens, and Yahoo Sports’s Jordan Shusterman conduct a draft of facts and stats about this record-setting Sox season, scored by Sox Machine White Sox reporter James Fegan, who also describes covering the […]...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Off to a flying start
2024

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• The clock may be ticking on Scott Boras’ MLB reign

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Playoff hero Jordan Montgomery fired Boras after being one of several big-name free agents to sign late for a much lower contract than expected. For decades now, Scott Boras has been synonymous with the MLB offseason. He changed the landscape of player salaries in such a dramatic way and over such a long period of time that it would not surprise anyone to se...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Heading to Sacto

D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports The Athletics announce they are moving to Sacramento, temporarily. Mookie Betts is tearing up the league. The Marlins are in trouble. And other news from around baseball. Good morning. The Athletics announced that the team will play from 2025 to (at least) 2027 in Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. Sutter Health Park is the home of the Triple-A Sacra...2024
Check it out Mookie Betts stats
• Outside The Confines: Rob Manfred has an expiration date

Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images Rejoice, baseball fans, we now have an idea of when the Manfred era will end. If we’re being honest, the role of MLB Commissioner is not an enviable one. The job, by its very nature, is inclined to create ire among fans, as the person in charge is trying to appease fans, players, but mostly owners, and the goals of those three groups rarely...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Third-degree Burnes

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports More fallout from the Corbin Burnes trade. The White Sox make a couple of deals, as do the A’s. And other news from around baseball. Good morning. The groundhog saw his shadow on Friday, which means there will be six more weeks of not signing Cody Bellinger. We should nickname Corbin Burnes “Third Degree,” as in Corbin “Third Degree” Burnes. That’s a shou...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Justin Verlander is a Giant
2025

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• Outside The Confines: The end of 2024
2024

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• Outside The Confines: Blake Snell is the first to go
2024

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• Outside The Confines: Iconic October baseball is upon us

Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images This postseason is shaping up to be a fun one. Happy Monday everyone! We’ve already had plenty of excitement this postseason, with some unexpected winners in the Wild Card series, and some intense games to start off the Divison series. Today we’re going to look at an incredible home run robbery played off as a trick, a game-changing home run, and “pitc...2024
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• Outside The Confines: A long-awaited debut for Kumar Rocker
2024

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• Outside The Confines: South Side blues
2024

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• Outside The Confines: A win, a loss, and a return

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images Lots to get emotional about in today’s OTC. In breaking news, late last night against the Oakland A’s, the Chicago White Sox finally ended their 21-game losing streak by eking out a 5-1 win. A single win won’t solve the White Sox woes, however, and many of today’s links delve into the historic territory the Sox find themselves in. Meanwhile, the ot...2024
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• Outside The Confines: One month down

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images At the end of baseball’s first month, things are starting to take shape. It seems impossible that a full month of baseball has passed us by. It feels like only yesterday we were celebrating Opening Day, and now we’re getting to a point where it might be time to stop saying “small sample size” as an excuse. The Dodgers aren’t a shocker as the NL West le...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Off to a flying start
2024

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• Outside The Confines: The Yankees bid farewell to John Sterling
2024

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• Money talks: Craig Counsell will be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs

Craig Counsell and David Ross shake hands on Opening Day at Wrigley Field in 2022 | Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports There are some really interesting financial elements informing this decision In early December 2021 I was grumbling to myself about free agent signings and deals right before the lockout as I was walking to get coffee. It was right after now World Series champions Marcus Semien ...2023
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• The Dansby Swanson signing by the numbers
Dansby Swanson takes an at bat last June at Wrigley Field | Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images The Cubs landed the last of the big four shortstops. When I posted about the Dansby Swanson signing on social media I said the seven-year $177 million deal was very reasonable, dare I say, “intelligent spending,” given the shortstop market we’ve seen this year. One of my friends, Cubs fan James Lo...2022
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• Outside The Confines: Twist of fate! Carlos Correa to the Mets
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Carlos Correa spurns the Giants for the Mets. The second-tier free agents start to sign. And other news from around MLB. This shocking news that Carlos Correa has just signed with the Mets broke after midnight on the West Coast last night. I assume this is for real, although Heyman was the man who reported that Aaron Judge signed with the Giants. This does seem...2022
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• How to watch the Royals in 2023
A detailed view of a Bally Sports microphone laying on the field after being used for an interview prior to the Spring Training game between the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Nationals at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 8, 2023 in Lakeland, Florida. The Tigers defeated the Nationals 2-1. | Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images Royals games on your screen!...2023
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• Outside The Confines: A good old-fashioned trade
Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images The Twins and Marlins make a deal based on needs and not contracts. An Oakland legend passes. A look back at free agency and more news from around MLB. I remember when a team trading a batting champion would have been a huge deal. The last player traded the offseason after winning a batting title was Rod Carew back in 1979. The Minnesota Twins traded s...2023
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• Outside The Confines: The Tigers claim the voice of the White Sox

Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images This might be the best offseason move yet. Well, one of the biggest moves of the offseason has nothing to do with players, or even with the shuffle of managers. The Detroit Tigers announced today that after Bally Sports Detroit parted ways with Matt Shepard the new play-by-play announcer for the season will be none other than White Sox great ...2023
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• Outside The Confines: Behind the dish no more
Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images A former friend is going through some changes. Happy Monday everyone! The big stories over the weekend were the news that the floundering Cardinals are making a bit of a change about where former Cub Willson Contreras will be playing going forward; Royals pitcher Ryan Yarbrough experienced a scary moment on the mound; a former A’s MVP has passed away; ...2023
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• Outside The Confines: The A’s Opera House

Oakland Athletics The A’s unveil their plans for a Las Vegas stadium and it looks... similar to something else The A’s moving to Las Vegas has been a limbo-state story for months now. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of certainty about when or if the A’s are moving, because right now they’re still in Oakland and exploring ways to extend their stay, but they have also unveiled stadium renderi...2024
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1. White Sox

2. World Series

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3046. Ben Clemens

• Outside The Confines: No Rays of sunshine

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Things are going wrong fast for the Rays. Also the Angels, who bet big on one last year with Shohei Ohtani. And other news from around MLB Just a few months ago, the Tampa Bay Rays were the biggest story in the game for the best start to a season since the 1984 Tigers. Now, they’re the biggest story in the game for not-as-pleasant reasons. The Tampa Bay Ray...2023
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• Outside The Confines: Correa returned to sender?
Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images The Carlos Correa sweepstakes seem poised to end where they began. Sometimes during the offseason (and I’ve done it here myself), we like to post tweet updates showing the wild and wacky path taken by minor league players bouncing from team to team via DNF and signing. Well, I don’t think anyone expected the wildest ride of free agency...2023
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• Outside The Confines: Justin Verlander is a Giant
2025

Continue with Justin Verlander
• Outside The Confines: Swinging into the new year
2025

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• Outside The Confines: The Hall of Fame debates are on
2025

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• Outside The Confines: Blake Snell is the first to go
2024

Read about Blake Snell
• Outside The Confines: Juan Soto tops the free agent market
2024

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• Outside The Confines: Stayin’ alive!
2024

Read about Daniel Shirey
• Braves News: Chris Sale rakes in awards, Dodgers take control, with a cost, more
2024

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• Outside The Confines: Goodbye to a legend
2024

Check it out Fernando Valenzuela
• Outside The Confines: Fall Classic

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images A thrilling ALCS game keeps the Guardians hopes alive. The Dodgers take control of the NLCS. Last night’s American League Championship Series game was good, but I take issue with this: Saw Tom Hamilton leaving the radio booth tonight. ‘You will not ever see a better game than that,’ he said. He’s called a lot of baseball games. Tough to argue with that...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Bad blood
2024

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• Outside The Confines: Juan Soto tops the free agent market
2024

See more articles Juan Soto whispers
• Outside The Confines: Bad blood
2024

See more articles Dodger Stadium scandal
• Outside The Confines: A long-awaited debut for Kumar Rocker
2024

Read about Kumar Rocker scandal
• Outside The Confines: One month down
2024

Click for news about Mitchell Layton
• Outside The Confines: The Yankees bid farewell to John Sterling
2024

Read about John Sterling buzz
• Outside The Confines: A new chapter in the Ippei Mizuhara betting scandal

Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images A freshly released criminal complaint offers shocking details in the betting scandal. Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani has been charged with bank fraud after stealing $16 million from Ohtani. In a newly publicized criminal complaint, texts were released between Mizuhara and his bookie, as well as details regarding how much he won (a...2024
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• Outside The Confines: Rob Manfred has an expiration date
2024

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• Outside the Confines: The Twins and Mariners make a trade

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports The Orioles are being sold. Justin Turner heads north of the border. More trouble in Las Vegas. And other news from around baseball. The College Baseball season starts in 16 days. The Mariners and Twins made a reasonably major trade as Minnesota shipped second baseman Jorge Polanco to Seattle for right-handed reliever Justin Topa, right-handed starter Anth...2024
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• Outside The Confines: The Tigers claim the voice of the White Sox
2023

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• Outside The Confines: A classic fall

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports The World Series is set. Adolis García and Ketel Marte were the heroes of the Championship Series. What’s next for the Astros. The Red Sox and GIants have new bosses. Congratulations to the Rangers and the Diamondbacks. May we have a seven-game series with every game decided by one run. And let’s have Game 7 go to extra innings for good measure. I don’t hav...2023
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