Accept nothing less than things being better, because things can absolutely be better.

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @enosarris.bsky.social, @iamtrevormay.bsky.social and I discussed AI usage on the dugout iPads, All-Star Game tweaks, second-half storylines, and Chase Burns' extension with the Reds.... Eno's story: theathletic.lnk.to/MLBAI 🎧 pod.fo/e/44cc05 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

Absolutely brutal air quality for a lot folks -- stay safe, friends! www.airnow.gov

I usually find calm in Bob Ross’ work, but this Roki Sasaki is going to haunt my dreams.

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @keithlaw.bsky.social joined @enosarris.bsky.social and I to discuss several takeaways from the Draft, and a few thoughts on the Futures Game.... Plus, a great chilaquiles recommendation if you stick around until the end. 🎧 pod.fo/e/44b7da 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

I’m still wondering why it was two innings for Justin Wrobleski and just one hitter for Mason Miller.

hi, internet! I have a request for y'all: if you see the MLB "level the playing field" ad anywhere, record it, send it to me, and note where you saw it (MLB tv, youtube, etc). I am trying to see how many variations there are. signal: jenramose.23 jramoseisen at gmail

This is going about as well as you might have guessed. Latest from @evandrellich.bsky.social.... www.nytimes.com/athletic/744...

My brain will always hear Jerry Stiller yelling "it's perverse!" when I read those words.

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @enosarris.bsky.social and I discussed tonight's Home Run Derby (and snuck in a quick draft), JJ Wetherholt's extension, the modern pitching dilemma with the All-Star Game, and Fantasy All-Stars.... 🎧 pod.fo/e/44913c 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

Which Home Run Derby slugger is best suited to take advantage of the new rules? www.nytimes.com/athletic/743...

Same. I've had it for six weeks and it's an absolute joke.

Roster Resource rules. The median salary for the current Top 20 position players by fWAR is $840,350. The average salary for that group: $10.95M. - BUT - it's $4.84M if you remove Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. 12 of the top 20 players by fWAR are making LESS than $1M this season.

Simple home dog: ketchup and yellow mustard. Eat what you like. Chicago Dogs - great as they are, not bringing ketchup anywhere near that. As Taste of the Majors has taught me, the possibilities are only limited by our own imagination. The hot dog is art’s most dynamic canvas.

Red Sox by a dozen.

Still the best post I’ve ever seen.

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @enosarris.bsky.social, Jed Lowrie and I take mulligans for our worst takes in 2026. Unfortunately, Kyle Tucker isn't going to win the NL MVP this year. Which predictions do you want back as the All-Star break approaches? 🎧 pod.fo/e/445274 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

This is incredible.

Anything good happening out there, anywhere?

Trying to find my worst take from draft season...and there are plenty of them to choose from. DVR likes Jacob Melton a lot (should have stopped here, but...), and thinks there is easily a world in which he’s a big-side platoon guy, maybe even a Rule of 5 player.

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ After a USMNT post-mortem, @enosarris.bsky.social and I tried to predict how a fastball-heavy approach like Cam Schlittler's will age, and we discussed a few pitchers that have exceeded their K and BB% projections from OOPSY. 🎧 pod.fo/e/4440e0 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @enosarris.bsky.social and I discuss the Marlins' wise decision with Eury Pérez against the A's, dialing back our post-Tommy John surgery optimism, and the return of Hunter Greene.... 🎧 pod.fo/e/44327a 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

[Once more, with feeling] Help! I need baseballs!!!! ⚾️⚾️🙏

I think flight attendants should adopt a yellow and red card system.

The baseball started to fly in June and drag dropped back toward 2019 levels...do we know why the ball has been so erratic this season? Rates & Barrels special episode: youtu.be/KLykjsUB8yQ Story from @enosarris.bsky.social & @evandrellich.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/741...

Now if they can just slap a Culver's logo over the T.E.A.M. on the back of Luke Fickell's puffy vest, we're golden.

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @enosarris.bsky.social and I discussed a weekend full of changes and wonder, which of the three big-market managerial openings is actually the best (Phillies, Mets, Red Sox)? Plus, were we wrong about Luis García Jr.? 🧇 🎧 pod.fo/e/43cd39 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

Let it rip at the deadline this year.

Read the damn room, Mr. Met.

I just want Arte to make himself the POBO at this point.

Nice work, Arte. 🤦‍♂️

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @iamtrevormay.bsky.social explains the Mets. @enosarris.bsky.social debunks my theory about team defense getting overlooked in LOB% -- and -- we talked a good bit about the D-backs' pitching woes over the past two seasons.... 🎧 pod.fo/e/439de7 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

Gonna be honest the SoftBank goose has really made my week. It’s so funny. It’s a perfect monument to the business idiots and what they imagine AI could be for no imaginable reason other than their willingness to be regulated by the wallet inspector. It’s indefensibly stupid.

the MLBPA has released a statement in response to MLB's proposal

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @enosarris.bsky.social and I discussed bat speed risers (and the typical ways bat speed increases), Stuff+ fallers, and Buster Posey's blunder from Tuesday's pre-game media availability in San Francisco.... 🎧 pod.fo/e/438dd7 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

Great work, Arte.

Here are weekly averages:

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ @enosarris.bsky.social and I discuss baseball's quick trip back to 2019, the struggles of Freddy Peralta, and where the money went on the waiver wire over the weekend.... 🎧 pod.fo/e/437089 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

I will have a good laugh if some AI process was implemented for this and it’s just out there doing donuts in the parking lot.

Still wondering if a surplus of old, soggy balls from 2025 in the stadium storage areas are the explanation for the early-season drag looking more like last season.

They call every White Sox-Tigers series the Benetti Cup, right?

These kids are going to be shocked when they find out how old the people in charge of everything are, but they have 40 completely solved and I am impressed.

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ These rankings stink! @enosarris.bsky.social and I discuss his updated Starting Pitcher rankings, and take an early look at this weekend's waiver-wire targets. Ranks: ($) www.nytimes.com/athletic/737... 🎧 pod.fo/e/4353ed 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

💀

If the hydration breaks are here to stay forever, maybe stop the clock for them...I mean, we stop the clock at halftime, so....

They're not even calling it a hydration break anymore. 🤣 Zlatan getting all of the credits on the Zlatan show is pretty funny though.

🎙️ Rates & Barrels ⚾ Three more from @enosarris.bsky.social and I. Tue: SP Tough Ranks & Chris Gill, MLB The Show: pod.fo/e/43268c Wed: Zone% & Fear: pod.fo/e/433647 Thur: Pitcher Miss Distances & Driveline Boogeyman w/@iamtrevormay.bsky.social: pod.fo/e/434437 📺 www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels

(Referring to MLB's proposal here, not Joe's take...Joe's take is spot on.)