Tablesetters: A Baseball Podcast

Episode 176 of Tablesetters is LIVE! The 2026 MLB All-Star Game has arrived, and we're breaking down everything surrounding baseball's biggest week. We kick things off with our 2026 MLB All-Star Draft Challenge, where every All-Star has been assigned a value based on fWAR. Position players are divided into five pricing tiers, while starting pitchers and relief pitchers each have their own tiered s...

Welcome to Episode 175 of Tablesetters. This week, we’re joined by Jonathan Mayo, senior prospect writer for MLB Pipeline and MLB.com and one of baseball’s foremost experts on prospects and the MLB Draft. With the draft approaching, Jonathan helps us break down the race for the No. 1 overall pick, why Grady Emerson recently climbed to the top of MLB Pipeline’s rankings over Roch Cholowsky, and whi...

Episode 174 of Tablesetters is LIVE! We kick things off with one of baseball's most recognizable annual traditions: Bobby Bonilla Day. Is it still the ultimate punchline for the Mets, or has deferred money become so common throughout baseball that the joke doesn't carry the same weight anymore? We revisit the famous contract, compare it to today's deferred deals, and discuss why Bobby Bonilla Day...

Episode 173 of Tablesetters is LIVE! We begin with the Chicago Cubs, whose pitching staff continues to be hit by injury after injury. With more key arms landing on the injured list, we discuss what it means for one of baseball's contenders, whether help is on the way, and if the season is beginning to reach a critical point. From there, we head to Queens, where the Mets continue searching for answ...

Episode 172 of Tablesetters is LIVE! We open with one of the biggest questions looming over the trade deadline: are the Giants preparing for a major roster shakeup? With reports suggesting San Francisco is willing to listen on several high-profile veterans, we examine what a potential selloff could look like, which players would generate the most interest around baseball, and whether there are any...

Episode 171 of Tablesetters is LIVE! We open with the first place Chicago White Sox, who suddenly sit atop the AL Central at 36-31 after starting the season 6-13. We break down whether this surge is actually sustainable, how Chicago has gone 29-17 since April 18, why their top-five offense has changed the entire outlook, and how Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Davis Martin, an...

Episode 170 of Tablesetters is LIVE! We open with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association officially beginning negotiations on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, including MLB's proposal for a hard salary cap and salary floor, the union's immediate opposition, and what this means for the future of player salaries, competitive balance, and the possibility of another labor showdown...

Episode 169 of Tablesetters is LIVE! We open with Cristopher Sánchez breaking Grover Alexander’s 115-year-old Phillies franchise record with a 44 2/3 inning scoreless streak and discuss where his dominant run now stands among baseball’s best pitching stretches in recent years. From there, we break down the Cubs becoming only the second AL/NL team ever to record two 10-game winning streaks and a 10...

Episode 168 of Tablesetters is LIVE! We open with one of the wildest NL Cy Young races in years as Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Sánchez, Paul Skenes, Shohei Ohtani, and Mason Miller all build completely different cases for pitching supremacy. Misiorowski’s triple-digit velocity and historic strikeout pace are redefining what overpowering stuff looks like, while Sánchez is turning refinement, work...

Episode 167 of Tablesetters is LIVE! We open with the surprising division leaders in the West as the San Diego Padres and Athletics continue leading their divisions despite major flaws on paper. The Padres rank near the bottom of baseball offensively but keep winning close games through late heroics, while the Athletics remain atop the AL West despite a 4.45 ERA and inconsistent pitching. We discu...

Episode 166 of Tablesetters is about separation, pressure, and the early signs that some of baseball’s biggest storylines may already be changing the shape of the season. We open by remembering legendary Yankees broadcaster John Sterling, who passed away at 87 years old. From “Theeeee Yankees win!” to the unforgettable home run calls that became part of baseball history, Sterling’s voice defined g...

Episode 165 of Tablesetters is about early-season pressure, real breakouts, and figuring out which April storylines have staying power. We start with the managerial shakeups in Boston and Philadelphia, where Alex Cora and Rob Thomson are both out after rough starts from teams that expected much more. The bigger story is not just that both managers were fired, but how quickly both organizations dec...

Episode 164 of Tablesetters is really about figuring out what’s actually real right now. We’re only a couple weeks in, but you can already start to see which trends are sticking and which teams are just kind of drifting without an identity. We start with the New York Mets, and this has gone way past a rough stretch. When you zoom out, the profile tells you everything. This isn’t just a team going...

Episode 163 of Tablesetters is really about figuring out what’s actually real right now. We’re only a couple weeks in, but you can already start to see which trends are sticking and which teams are just kind of drifting without an identity. We start with the New York Mets, and this is well past the point of calling it a slump. They’ve lost seven straight, they’re not scoring, and more than anythin...

Episode 162 of Tablesetters is a reaction-driven breakdown of a league already being shaped by injuries, volatility, and the widening gap between talent and execution. The episode opens with the impact of Cade Horton’s season-ending elbow surgery, a loss that fundamentally alters the trajectory of the Chicago Cubs. After posting a 2.67 ERA and finishing runner-up for Rookie of the Year, Horton was...

Welcome to Episode 161 of Tablesetters, where we cover everything happening across the world of baseball. We’re recording this live while games are still in progress, so you’re getting real-time reactions, evolving takeaways, and the immediate pulse of what’s happening across the league. We start with two early trends that are already shaping the season. Rookie Insanity is very real. Young players...

The 2026 MLB season has arrived, and this episode of Tablesetters takes a comprehensive look at the postseason landscape and the performances most likely to define it. From roster construction to organizational philosophy, we examine how contenders are built to navigate the six-month grind and position themselves for October. The starting point is clear. The Dodgers enter the season not simply as...

Welcome to Episode 159 of Tablesetters as we turn to the American League East heading into the 2026 season. This division is not about who is best. It is about timing and which version of each team shows up over the course of a long season. The Yankees have the highest ceiling in the division. The lineup is as deep as it has been in years and Aaron Judge remains the engine that drives everything o...

Welcome to Episode 158 of Tablesetters, as we turn to the National League East heading into the 2026 season. This is one of those divisions where you can make a real case three different ways and none of them feel wrong. Philadelphia feels like the safest pick. The lineup just keeps coming at you with Bohm, Marsh, García, Stott, and Realmuto giving them real length with no easy outs. The rotation...

Welcome to Episode 157 of Tablesetters, where we cover everything happening across the world of baseball. Tonight’s WBC special covers the 2026 World Baseball Classic Final. In Miami, Venezuela defeated Team USA 3–2 to win the championship in a tightly contested game that came down to late execution. Venezuela opened the scoring in the third on a Maikel García sacrifice fly and added on in the fif...

Welcome to Episode 156 of Tablesetters, where we continue our division preview series by turning our attention to the American League Central heading into the 2026 season. Unlike some divisions defined by a single dominant team, the AL Central enters the year with a much more open structure. Several clubs have a path to contention, each built around very different identities whether that’s elite p...

Welcome to Episode 155 of Tablesetters, where we continue our division preview series by turning to the National League Central heading into the 2026 season. The NL Central enters the year without a clear dominant team, making it one of the most unpredictable races in baseball. Several clubs have a realistic path to the top depending on health, pitching stability, and whether their young talent co...

Welcome to Episode 154 of Tablesetters, where we cover everything happening across the world of baseball. Tonight’s WBC special covers the first semifinal of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. In front of 36,337 fans at loanDepot Park in Miami, Team USA defeated the Dominican Republic 2–1 to advance to the World Baseball Classic championship game Tuesday night...

Welcome to Episode 153 of Tablesetters, where we cover everything happening across the world of baseball. Tonight’s WBC special covers the final two quarterfinal games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and they delivered exactly the kind of drama this tournament is built on. Venezuela knocked out defending champion Japan with an 8–5 comeback victory in Miami, flipping the game in the sixth innin...

Welcome to Episode 152 of Tablesetters, where we cover everything happening across the world of baseball. Tonight’s WBC special covers the quarterfinal round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Team USA escaped Canada 5-3 in Houston on the strength of a throwing error, a bullpen that bent but didn’t break, and Mason Miller slamming the door in the ninth. The Dominican Republic needed just seven in...