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A group baseball blog by fans of the Effectively Wild podcast
Saturday, July 12, 2025

Posts by Matthew Trueblood

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Miscellaneous

Derek Jeter: The Greatest Market Inefficiency of Them All

by Matthew Trueblood | February 18th, 2014

Last week, Derek Jeter announced that he will retire at the end of the 2014 season. The news was a surprise to virtually no one—Jeter was hobbled and ineffective during a stunningly short stint in… Read more »

Miscellaneous

Last Licks: Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson Have to Impress to Survive in Cubs Camp

by Matthew Trueblood | February 10th, 2014

After the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus rated Josh Vitters as the Chicago Cubs’ top prospect. After the 2010 and 2011 campaigns, he bestowed that honor on Brett Jackson. Vitters was… Read more »

Miscellaneous

James Russell had a miserable 2013 for the Chicago Cubs, but it wasn’t his fault

by Matthew Trueblood | January 22nd, 2014

The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen was a mess in 2013. The collective 4.04 ERA posted by the relief corps ranked 25th in the Major Leagues, and only three teams fared worse in save opportunities than did… Read more »

Miscellaneous

For Arizona Diamondbacks, and Baseball as a Whole, Josh Collmenter is a Long Sigh of Relief

by Matthew Trueblood | January 21st, 2014

Fifteen years ago, there were still MLB teams using 10-man pitching staffs for significant stretches of the season. A decade ago, just about everyone was using 11. Five years ago, 12 became the norm, and… Read more »

Miscellaneous

My (Heavily Annotated) (Surprisingly Sentimental) (Fake) 2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

by Matthew Trueblood | January 9th, 2014

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 2014 induction class Wednesday, with the Baseball Writers Association of America voting in Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. There were many deserving names missing from the list… Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Arizona Diamondbacks Pay Transaction Cost of Tyler Skaggs for Non-Existent Upgrade from Adam Eaton to Mark Trumbo

by Matthew Trueblood | December 13th, 2013

We’re going to have to start calling this an Arizona three-way. Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers is making too much a habit of it. He keeps wading into complex three-party transactions, and while the motivation… Read more »

Free Agency, Hot Stove, Miscellaneous, Rumors and Tidbits

The Ones Who Stayed: Mike Napoli Re-Signs with Red Sox, Hiroki Kuroda Stays with Yankees

by Matthew Trueblood | December 9th, 2013

Jacoby Ellsbury and Robinson Cano are going to get the headlines. Treachery, real or imagined, wears well on a tabloid cover. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees brought back some key players last… Read more »

Free Agency, Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Curtis Granderson Signs With (and Settles For) the New York Mets

by Matthew Trueblood | December 9th, 2013

A well-loved son of the Second City, Curtis Granderson chose something that felt like home over actually coming home. He signed a four-year deal with the New York Mets Friday, one that will pay him… Read more »

Uncategorized

My Baseball Hall of Fame Veteran’s Committee Ballot

by Matthew Trueblood | December 9th, 2013

Since the Veteran’s Committee doesn’t often elect new members to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Tommy John and Dave Parker aren’t causing the same sort of controversy among baseball people today as, say, Jack Morris… Read more »

Free Agency, Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Robinson Cano Changes Clothes and Goes to Seattle Mariners

by Matthew Trueblood | December 9th, 2013

The Seattle Mariners agreed to a 10-year, $240-million contract with free-agent second baseman Robinson Cano Friday, opting for an exclamation point, not a period, at the end of baseball’s most frantic week of off-season activity in… Read more »

Free Agency, Hot Stove, Miscellaneous, Rumors and Tidbits

Brian Wilson Signs With Los Angeles Dodgers, Edward Mujica With Boston Red Sox Amid Flurry of Reliever Signings

by Matthew Trueblood | December 6th, 2013

The second half of this week hasn’t lived up to the hype of Super Tuesday, but has still seen a number of moves, including a run of reliever contracts I’ll break down here. They include:… Read more »

Free Agency, Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Justin Morneau to Colorado Rockies and A.J. Pierzynski to Boston Red Sox Make Perfect Sense

by Matthew Trueblood | December 5th, 2013

Two of the lesser moves of baseball’s Super Tuesday involved left-handed hitters nearing the end of their careers finding new homes, and although neither deal has been terribly well-received by Baseball Twitter, I rather like… Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Ryan Hanigan and Heath Bell Join Tampa Bay Rays, the Franchise They Were Born to Play For

by Matthew Trueblood | December 5th, 2013

The Tampa Bay Rays have won at least 90 games in each of the last four seasons, and in five of six. Despite perhaps the worst financial standing of any team in baseball, they’re a… Read more »

Free Agency, Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits, Trade Rumors

Craig Gentry and Three New Pitchers Promise Serious Run Prevention for 2014 Oakland Athletics

by Matthew Trueblood | December 4th, 2013

No team fueled the madness that was Monday and Tuesday in the baseball world quite like the Oakland Athletics. Their general manager, Billy Beane, is arguably the game’s most aggressive, and with a roster in need… Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits, Trade Rumors

Dexter Fowler Stands in for the Shin-Soo Choo the Houston Astros Could Never Have Had

by Matthew Trueblood | December 4th, 2013

Pesky rumors persisted for far too long, this winter, that the Houston Astros would hook free-agent outfielder and on-base machine Shin-Soo Choo. That was never going to happen. It was always going to be Dexter… Read more »

Free Agency, Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Jarrod Saltalamacchia Actively Chooses Miami Marlins

by Matthew Trueblood | December 4th, 2013

Jarrod Saltalamacchia probably cost himself $30 million during the month of October. On a national stage, with the opportunity to make a statement about his potential to be an effective, even star-level catcher just as… Read more »

Free Agency, Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Jacoby Ellsbury and New York Yankees Make a Great Celebrity Couple

by Matthew Trueblood | December 4th, 2013

Seven years never means seven years. Any cursory reading of the Bible will tell you that. Seven is an allusion, a symbol, not a number on the same plane as, for instance, six or eight…. Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

David Holmberg is Price Arizona Diamondbacks Pay to Get Out From Under Heath Bell

by Matthew Trueblood | December 3rd, 2013

Whenever the Arizona Diamondbacks turn out to be the third team in a trade, I find myself wondering why they didn’t simply sit it out. The complexity of those transactions means there will nearly always… Read more »

Hot Stove, Miscellaneous, Rumors and Tidbits

Doug Fister Joins Washington Nationals, Joe Nathan to Detroit Tigers: What This Should Teach You

by Matthew Trueblood | December 3rd, 2013

The Washington Nationals had as miserable an 86-win season as the Wild Card Era has seen in 2013. In the run-up to the season, they drew comparisons to the 1990s Braves, the 1986 Mets and—strangely,… Read more »

Free Agency, Miscellaneous, Rumors and Tidbits

Twin Additions: Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco

by Matthew Trueblood | December 1st, 2013

Ricky Nolasco is a California native, pitched all but the last dozen starts of his big-league career in Miami and has a surname that sounds like it should triangulate a Manhattan neighborhood. As of Wednesday… Read more »

Hot Stove, Miscellaneous, Rumors and Tidbits

B.J. Upton and the Atlanta Braves Celebrate First Anniversary on Thanksgiving: How Upton Can Have Four Years Worth Being Thankful For Before the End of His Contract

by Matthew Trueblood | November 27th, 2013

B.J. Upton hit free agency in November of 2012. In the brief time he spent on the market, before signing with the Atlanta Braves one year ago Thursday, I wrote this long, detailed breakdown of… Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Why the New York Yankees Should Add Masahiro Tanaka, but Let Robinson Cano Walk

by Matthew Trueblood | November 27th, 2013

The free-agency compensation system in MLB is hilariously broken. Designed by the owners as a means of capping the top end of the free-agent market, but plugged as a way to keep small-market teams from… Read more »

Free Agency, Miscellaneous, Rumors and Tidbits

Carlos Beltran Belongs in the Hall of Fame, but is Not the Solution to the New York Yankees’ Problems

by Matthew Trueblood | November 27th, 2013

Carlos Beltran has always been a darling to saber-slanted baseball nuts like me. He’s a tremendous slugger, has consistently posted above-average OBPs, played great defense in center field at his peak and is one of… Read more »

Hot Stove, Miscellaneous, Rumors and Tidbits

What the Angels Are Doing: Evaluating the Additions of Joe Smith and David Freese

by Matthew Trueblood | November 26th, 2013

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the most interesting team in baseball. You can argue with me on that point, and you might even win, but at this moment, that sure feels The Angels… Read more »

Free Agency, Rumors and Tidbits

A New York Yankees Rebuild: Brian McCann and Free-Agent Deals in Baseball Today

by Matthew Trueblood | November 25th, 2013

They used to call a coffin a Chicago overcoat. It might be time to call an off-season spending spree a New York Yankees rebuild. The Yankees kicked off what they hope will be a big offseason… Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

St. Louis Cardinals Add Peter Bourjos, Jhonny Peralta and a Whole Lot of Flexibility

by Matthew Trueblood | November 25th, 2013

The reigning National League champions are planning an active defense of their crown. Rather than sit on their homegrown dynasty and hope it could sustain itself another year, the St. Louis Cardinals traded David Freese… Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

Blurred Lines: Chicago Cubs Coaching Staff Transcends Front Office-Field Staff Distinctions

by Matthew Trueblood | November 22nd, 2013

The Chicago Cubs announced the coaching staff that will surround new manager Rick Renteria in 2014 on Friday, and there are some very interesting names and job titles on the list. Brandon Hyde got the… Read more »

Free Agency, Miscellaneous, Rumors and Tidbits

Jason Vargas: How the Kansas City Royals Wasted Four Years of Roster Space

by Matthew Trueblood | November 22nd, 2013

As a thought experiment, consider a world in which ballclubs get a choice. Every November, they receive a three-option menu. They can take $10 million from a central fund, to spend as they please. They… Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

The Prince Fielder for Ian Kinsler Trade: What Matters Most for Detroit Tigers is What This Means

by Matthew Trueblood | November 21st, 2013

There are too many layers to the trade that sent Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers and Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers to write a single, coherent article in summary. Therefore, I’m breaking it… Read more »

Hot Stove, Rumors and Tidbits

The Prince Fielder for Ian Kinsler Trade: The Next Step for the Texas Rangers is Unclear, But Exciting

by Matthew Trueblood | November 21st, 2013

There are too many layers to the trade that sent Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers and Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers to write a single, coherent article in summary. Therefore, I’m breaking it… Read more »

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