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 10 minor league free agents each and compete to see whose roster will accumulate the most combined MLB playing time in 2025. Audio intro: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Baumann on Verlander Link to Dubuque on Verlander Link to Verlander pitch values Link to Verlander max speeds Link to Verlander stuff ratings Link to Ben L. on Kershaw Link to Ben C. on sliders Link to Ben C. on spending Link to FG SP projections Link to last year’s draft Link to FA draft wiki Link to competitions sheet Link to historical picks sheet Link to BA list Link to Neosho alumni Link to Neosho wiki Link to EW gift subscriptions  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Email Us: [email protected]  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Spotify Feed  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source