Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball

DVR is joined by Jason Collette to discuss the evolution of pre-debut contracts and early takeaways -- including the highly-anticipated return Shane McClanahan -- and the surprising lack of stolen bases from the Rays in their first two series of the season. They also take an early look at waiver-wire targets, highlighting several starting pitchers of interest, a few relievers to consider from bullpens in turmoil, and the fast start for Jordan Walker.

Rundown
1:55 Commissioner’s Corner: Move Weekly Pickups to Thursday Night!
8:37 Context is Key: James Wood Reveals 2025 Injuries
11:34 Checking In on the Rays: Observations Through Two Series
18:59 He’s Back! The Return of Shane McClanahan
23:59 Efficiency FTW: Drew Rasmussen Has a New Changeup
28:15 Early-Season Matchups: What Matters When Considering Pitchers?
34:24 Another Bat Speed Riser: Interest Level in Luisangel Acuña
37:29 Weekend Waiver Preview: Starting Pitchers We’re Considering
41:55 The Roster Bubble Starting Pitchers (40-60% Rostered)
48:23 Digging Deeper (20-40% Rostered)
53:26 Looking for Saves: Assessing Relievers in Flux
56:45 Cautious with Hitting Surprises? Buying Jordan Walker’s Adjustments?

Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social
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Host: Derek VanRiper

With Guest Co-Host: Jason Collette

Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eno, Trevor, and DVR discuss the Pirates' promotion of top prospect Konnor Griffin (whose agreement to a nine-year extension was revealed after the episode was recorded), the long-term outlook on Shane Baz, how pitchers impact a hitter's bat speed, and new pitches that have caught our eye through the first week of the season.

Rundown
0:26 Baseball's Top Prospect Gets the Call: Konnor Griffin to Debut on Friday
3:54 Buying the Pirates? Will They Snap Seven-Year Streak of Losing Seasons?
8:31 Breaking Down Shane Baz's Extension with the Orioles: Five-Year, $56 Million
19:40 How Pitchers Impact a Hitter's Bat Speed
29:56 Does Fast Swing Rate Against Pitchers Tell Us More than Average Bat Speeds?
35:03 New Pitches: Pitchers With Better Outlooks Thanks to New Offerings
57:18The Rangers' Nacho Sombrero is Real?!

Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social
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e-mail: [email protected]

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Trevor May

Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eno, Jed, and DVR discuss a bizarre mistake from C.B. Bucknor in Milwaukee on Tuesday night, and Jed's favorite umpire still in rotation before digging into Shohei Ohtani's first start of 2026 -- which featured significantly increased usage of his curveball -- before looking at early bat-speed risers, and breaking down a few hitters they believe could benefit from a more aggressive approach at the plate.

Rundown
0:48 Umpire Love: Jed’s Favorite Ump Still in Circulation
2:00 The Opposite of Umpire Love: C.B. Buckner’s Laughably Bad Call
3:50 Make a Mistake? Own It! Mark Wegner Owns Up to Missed Strikeout
10:10 Sho and Tell: Shohei Ohtani Increases Curveball Usage in First Start of 2026
15:33 Other News & Notes: DeLauter’s Scare, Eflin’s Exit & deGrom’s Velo
18:09 Early Bat Speed Risers: Why Does It Matter in Small Samples?
25:57 Does High Bat Speed Lead to Injuries?
34:00 Swing Decisions: Who Should Be More Aggressive?
50:58 Show and Tell: A Few of Our Random Favorites

Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social
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e-mail: [email protected]

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Jed Lowrie

Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eno, DVR, and Britt discuss a pair of eight-year extensions for two yet-to-debut shortstops -- Seattle's Colt Emerson and Milwaukee's Cooper Pratt -- before looking back at Roki Sasaki's first start of 2026 and digging into why the lofty expectations around him are unlikely to fall anytime soon. Plus, Andrew Baggarly joins the show to for our (belated, blame DVR) Giants season preview.

Rundown
1:50 Colt Emerson Gets Eight-Year Extension from Mariners
9:33 Cooper Pratt Gets Eight-Year Extension from Brewers
19:19 Examining Roki Sasaki’s First Start of 2026
25:45 The Weight of Expectations on Roki
33:15 Justin Verlander’s Return to the Tigers
41:04 An Immaculate Inning From Michael Soroka
42:43 2026 Giants Preview with Andrew Baggarly
43:39 Overall Impressions of Tony Vitello Early in Year 1
46:03 Luis Arraez’s Long-Term Future at Second Base
50:13 The Buster Posey Era: Is This Team Better Now Than It Was A Year Ago?
55:32 Assessments of Landen Roupp, Tyler Mahle & Adrian Houser
59:21 The Bullpen Comes Into Focus
1:04:54 PECOTA’s 82-Win Projection: Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?

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Follow Britt on Bluesky: @brittghiroli.bsky.social
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e-mail: [email protected]

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Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels

Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Britt Ghiroli & Andrew Baggarly

Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eno and DVR look back at the first weekend of the 2026 MLB season, which featured immediate ABS drama in several games and plenty of excitement at the ballpark, Plus, they discuss an extension for Nico Hoerner, as the Cubs secure another long-term part of their core, before answering mailbag questions about limiting challenges to critical counts, and what 'A' and 'B' bullpens are. Finally, they explain their process for making some of their toughest decisions for the week, and takeaways from a messy weekend in several bullpens.

Rundown
0:21 The Crowd Goes Wild, For ABS!: Loud Roars & the First Ejection!
7:41 Righting the Wrongs: Can Aaron Judge Become Even Better with ABS?
8:57 Coming Soon: Challenge Timers & Lights?
12:42 The Cubs Extend Nico Hoerner: Six-Year, $141 Million Deal Adds to Core
20:03 Jacob deGrom Scratched From Weekend Start (Neck Stiffness): Could Return This Week
21:02 Will Teams Limit Challenges Based on Count?
25:30 How Do Stuff+ Updates Drop on FanGraphs?
27:51 Jake Irvin, Emerson Hancock & Randy Vásquez Surprise
36:05 What Are ‘A’ and ‘B’ Bullpens?
40:40 How We Make Our Most Difficult Lineup Decisions
50:14 Pickups & Panics: Messy Bullpens & Eno’s FOMO Drop

Related Reading ($)

"Inside MLB’s new ABS challenge system: Which umpires, teams and players thrived and struggled" by Johnny Flores Jr.:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7156691

"Payback time for Yankees’ Aaron Judge? ABS could mean revenge after years of bad calls" by Brendan Kuty:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7153125

Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social
Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social

e-mail: [email protected]

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe

Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels

Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.