Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Charlie Culberson’s surprising staying power as a barely-playing big leaguer, then break down the first batch of trades preceding the trade deadline, including deals involving Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, Jordan Hicks, Nicky Lopez, Randal Grichuk, and C.J. Cron. They also discuss the lack of impact hitters on the market, Matt Chapman dissing the Angels’ offense, how intentional walks affect Shohei Ohtani’s WAR, and how a misaligned strike-zone graphic may have angered Phil Nevin. Then

Ben brings on White Sox pitcher Declan Cronin, the first major leaguer from Ben’s alma mater, Regis High School, for an in-person Meet a Major Leaguer segment with a player promoted thanks to deadline deals. They talk about Declan’s underdog career path as a Regis Raider, Holy Cross Crusader, and 36th-round draftee, his call-up and debut, his data-driven development, his second job at Tread Athletics, and more, followed