Who's Better Baseball

New York Mets and Atlanta Braves finally punch their ticket to the postseason as the Arizona Diamondbacks clinch an opportunity to spend more time with friends and family. Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) get you ready for the four different Wild Card Series on tap this week. Plus, what is the best Game 1 matchup: Tarik Skubal vs. Framber Valdez OR Cole...

MLB Postseason begins in a little more than a week and the American League has a tight race for the final Wild Card following a Detroit Tigers sweep of the Kansas City Royals. The National League is in the same boat with the Arizona Diamondback, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves battle for the final two spots. Which club has the most difficult remaining schedule and will that put them on the outsid...

Aaron Judge has the AL MVP locked up, but the rest of the awards for MLB are still up for grabs. How open is the window for Francisco Lindor to take away the NL MVP from Shohei Ohtani? Has Jackson Merrill emerged as the NL Rookie of the Year favorite over Paul Skenes? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein and Patrick Lyons break down the latest in the awards races and how the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodge...

Francisco Lindor has led the Mets into the playoff mix this year with a career-year at age-30. Currently leading the National League in fWAR, does Lindor have a case to be the MVP over Shohei Ohtani this year? In this episode of Who's Better Baseball, host Ryan Finkelstein is joined by Just Baseball's two BBWAA member, who will each have an award vote this season. Ryan makes the case to th...

The final stretch of the 2024 MLB season has arrived and there's a lot at stake with a little over six weeks left to play. Which divisions own the best pennant races and which players have a chance at immortality with the Triple Crown? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein and Patrick Lyons break down whether the AL East (Yankees and Orioles) or AL Central (Guardians, Royals and Twins) has the best race. Plu...

Shohei Ohtani: still the clear favorite for NL MVP? A field of stars are aiming to take down the Los Angeles Dodgers DH. Ketel Marte, Elly De La Cruz and Francisco Lindor are the best bets to get it done in the National League. Plus, Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) debates over who's better: Bobby Witt Jr. or Gunnar Henderson? New York Mets or Atlanta Bra...

The 2024 World Series was settled at this year's MLB trade deadline. But who exactly made the most of their wheeling and dealing? Did favorites like the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers do enough? Which teams were most disappointing in their transactions? And which players were most surprisingly not traded? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinR...

Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies are locks for the postseason, as are several other clubs. Only five teams - Rockies, Marlins, White Sox, Athletics and Angels - are truly out of the running. That leaves a lot of MLB squads in the middle who need to make a decision ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) eliminate...

Paul Skenes vs. Aaron Judge came to fruition, as did Mason Miller vs. Shohei Ohtani. But how did the rest of the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby fare in terms of excitement? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) break down all of the action from the Midsummer Classic before discussing which All-Stars could get dealt before the July 30 trade deadline. Watch a...

Paul Skenes to start for the National League? Gunnar Henderson to win the Home Run Derby? And what about a Mason Miller and Bryce Harper matchup? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) break down all the top storylines of the Midsummer Classic. Plus, should MLB implement a rookies vs. sophomores Home Run Derby? What changes need to be made for next year's...

Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge. Who's the best hitter in baseball? The answer may surprise you. The Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins have climbed back into their division races. Will they catch the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians, respectively, to win each division? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) also discuss what would happen if MLB creat...

All-Star Game finalists for Phase 2 have been announced. Who should be starting at each position in the American and National League? Plus, what does Shohei Ohtani need to become the NL MVP this year? The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar would become the first DH to ever win the award. Does he need a 40-40 season? To win the Triple Crown? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@RyanFinkelstein)and Patrick Lyons (@P...

MLB trade deadline is a little more than a month away and only a handful of teams have zero chance at the postseason. Which AL and NL teams are the most interesting to watch as they fight for October? Will the New York Mets be buyers or sellers? Do the St. Louis Cardinals need to be aggressive? And did the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates or Boston Red Sox suggest they need to improve the offseason...

With the Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts sidelined for a few months with a broken hand, what's the impact? Do the Dodgers have in-house options at shortstop? Does this increase the likelihood of acquiring Bo Bichette from the Toronto Blue Jays? Plus, will the MVP race in the National League look different now? Does Bryce Harper of the Phillies and Francisco Lindor of the Mets deserve a s...

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bryce Harper have been elevating the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively. Does either man have a case to challenge Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers for National League MVP? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) also break down why the 2024 World Series could come down to only four teams. Plus, the AL We...

Voting for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game is live and Bryce Harper against Freddie Freeman highlights the top positional battles. Will fans of the Philadelphia Phillies stuff the ballot for Harper's first time at first base? Plus, José Ramírez vs. Rafael Devers for AL third base, Will Smith vs. William Contreras as NL catcher and Adley Rutschman vs. Salvador Perez as AL catcher. Hosts Ryan Finkels...

Aaron Judge was the Player of the Month in May in the AL and the New York Yankees have secured the best record in all of MLB this week. Have the Yanks become the new favorite for taking home their first World Series since 2009? Plus, Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates continues his historic run and the Toronto Blue Jays unveil their new City Connect uniforms in memorable fashion. Hosts Patrick...

The New York Mets are in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons. After Francisco Lindor's uncompetitive at-bat earlier in the week, Jorgé Lopéz goes wild and tosses his mitt into the stands. Are the Metropolitans the most dysfunctional team in all of MLB? Plus, full-season projections show a lot of historic seasons on the horizon. Will the Orioles' Gunnar Henderson keep pace with 50...

The Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals are both on pace for 100 wins in the AL Central. Which one has the best chance to cross the century mark? With Ronald Acuña Jr. done for the season, what will Atlanta do next? Should they be concerned about missing the playoffs with the Philadelphia Phillies poised to win the NL East now? Plus, hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyo...

The MLB All-Star Game always features new superstars. Which youngsters will start for the first time for the American and National Leagues? Is Ranger Suárez more likely to be chosen by manager Dave Roberts or will Tarik Skubal be the choice by Bruce Bochy in the AL? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) discuss the top starting pitchers in each league who cou...

Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts have been the best two players in the National League so far this season. In the American League, you can make the case for both Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Could New York and Los Angeles go 1-2 in voting for the Most Valuable Player? Plus, hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrckDLyons) discuss who's better among NL Central youngsters:...

Teams are showing more flexibility with making early trades before July -- Luis Arráez to the San Diego Padres, for example -- and several clubs could begin wheeling and dealing as early as this week. Would the Houston Astros dare deal Alex Bregman? Which middling NL West club -- Arizona, San Diego or San Francisco -- could survive a selloff? Do the Marlins have anything else to offer? Plus, which...

Chris Sale is off to a fantastic start to the 2024 season with the Atlanta Braves, but is he the runaway favorite to be this year's NL Comeback Player of the Year? Could Tyler O'Neill of the Boston Red Sox and Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins challenge New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón? Plus, hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinRyan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) discuss t...

The MLB trade deadline may still be nearly three months away, but the Luis Arráez trade to the San Diego Padres has expedited the conversation. Plus, with Robbie Grossman headed back to the Texas Rangers, we started thinking: could we see some old faces reunite with their former clubs? Hosts Ryan Finkelstein (@finkelsteinryan) and Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) discuss some trades that would make...

On today's show, hosts Ryan Finkelstein and Patrick Lyons each draft their picks for the five best shortstops in baseball who are currently 25 years old or younger. Who is the best in the game, Bobby Witt Jr, Gunnar Henderson, or Elly De La Cruz? Is CJ Abrams or Anthony Volpe the headliner of the next tier? They discuss all of this and more, as each drafts their teams.