{"podcast":{"title":"Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball","slug":"rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652","podcast_index_feed_id":692652,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879","website_url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/podcasts/","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/1774225915041-25aacc15-e115-4d2e-b3fa-72decc9773cb.jpeg","author":"The Athletic","episode_count":1068,"summary":"In baseball, numbers are everywhere. But they’re not just numbers. For Derek VanRiper and Eno Sarris, they’re the keys to solving the most fun problem in sports. Every weekday, join DVR and Eno as they unpack baseball in ways you’ve never heard before, endeavoring to figure out all they can about a sport that’s constantly changing. Alongside contributors Britt Ghiroli, Trevor May and Jed Lowrie, the Rates & Barrels crew breaks down all the latest MLB news through an analytical lens, feeding your unhealthy addiction to numbers, while helping you master your fantasy baseball GM skills. But wait, there's more: come back for Saturday mornings in Starkville, where Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville talk to some of the most important players, coaches, and thought leaders in the league. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-26T10:19:52.816182+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652"},"episode":{"title":"Paul Skenes' Recent Struggles, Trade Targets & Weekend Waiver Wire Preview","slug":"paul-skenes-recent-struggles-trade-targets-weekend-waiver-wire-preview","published_at":"2026-07-03T20:48:42+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/paul-skenes-recent-struggles-trade-targets-weekend-waiver-wire-preview","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652","url":"https://shows.acast.com/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball/episodes/paul-skenes-recent-struggles-trade-targets-weekend-waiver-wi","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/e/6a481cbedc2ae286b818721d/media.mp3","summary":"As America celebrates its birthday, fantasy managers are getting ready for the second half of the baseball season. This week, Eno and DVR take a closer look at what's behind Paul Skenes' recent struggles, and whether his declining fastball velocity helps explain the dip in results. Then, they size up several players around the league to determine who could be worth targeting in a trade. Plus, they wrap up the show by highlighting the best waiver-wire pickups on both the hitting and pitching sides ahead of the holiday weekend. Rundown: 2:52 Concerns About Paul Skenes 14:40 Trade Activity Picking Up in Second Half 20:40 Which Lagging Bats Should Be Targets? 24:30 Younger Position Players to Trade For 29:02 First-Rounder Challenge Trade - Gunnar Henderson vs. Paul Skenes? 31:36 Plate Discipline Forward Targets 32:41 Pitchers to Deal For: Leaning on ERA-SIERA? 41:25 Is Drew Rasmussen Underrated in Long-Term Leagues? 43:27 Weekend Waiver Targets: Pitchers of Interest 54:47 Weekend Waiver Targets: Looking for Hitters Back After the Break? Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com 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.","meta_description":"As America celebrates its birthday, fantasy managers are getting ready for the second half of the baseball season. This week, Eno and DVR take a closer lo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3841,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/episodes/paul-skenes-recent-struggles-trade-targets-weekend-waiver-wire-preview/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/paul-skenes-recent-struggles-trade-targets-weekend-waiver-wire-preview.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}