Caught 'Em Looking

The WBC is coming to an end but 2026 baseball is just getting started. Join the Caught Em Looking podcast hosts, Jordan and Jaela, as we recap the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic, including the surprising defeat of Team DR by Team USA. Team Venezuela powered over Team Italy, leading to a face-off between Team USA and Team Venezuela. Jordan and Jaela predict the outcome of the game and discuss their overall feelings surrounding this year's tournament. We then get into Spring Training and the rapidly approaching regular season. Jordan shares his thoughts on some fresh talent coming up in the league, while Jaela keeps her skepticism of her hometown team. Finally, we chat about which teams we think new fans should lock in with, including some surprising picks from both Jordan and Jaela.

This week we talk about all thing World Baseball Classic! Jordan and Jaela share a recap of what has happened so far, including all the excitement coming from Team Dominican Republic and the lack thereof coming from Team USA. Jaela share about her recent trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico to see some of the WBC in person, including watching Team Cuba, Team Panama, and Team Columbia play at Hiram Bithron Stadium. Finally, we share our thoughts on Spring Training and what to expect from the upcoming season.

On this week's episode, we talk about MLBPA's former union Head Tony Clark's cheating scandal, and what that means for the lockout. We update you on the most recent free agent signings and finish with a fun WBC-themed fantasy baseball draft. I saw an article this week on MLB.com that had the writers draft players that were on WBC rosters and form a team, and thought that'd be a fun exercise for us. We'll upload the rosters this week and want to know who you think would win. Last but not least, spring training games are finally upon us, which means we're ever so close to regular-season baseball! What's one thing you're looking forward to for the 2026 season?

After a quick Super Bowl recap, [11:51], we get into an update on the WBC as the rosters were officially announced. Jaela is gearing up for a grand adventure to Puerto Rico to see the WBC in person and will keep the pod updated through the journey. [21:00]. Then we get into a surprising surge of hand injuries in some notable names right ahead of spring training, including Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll. [30:37] Pitchers and catchers are back this week, which marks the official start of Spring Training. Jordan and Jaela get into the value of watching spring training games. [43:26] Finally, we get into some last-minute trades before the start of the season starts, and the value of some high-profile trades.

On this episode of Caught Em' Looking, we discuss the most recent free agent signing including Eugenio Suarez and Luis Arraez. We discuss some big trades, including Brendan Donovan to the Mariners and Jordan Hicks to the White Sox. We also talk WBC insurance debacles and why baseball has a thing for storylines. Tarik Skubal has his arbitration hearing, and we wait to see who will win: the Tigers or Mr. 2-time Cy-Young winner. We think Tarik, but who knows what will happen. It's Super Bowl weekend as well, so things have been somewhat slow in the baseball media world. We'll do our best to keep you updated with the latest news until the season starts.

After a quick recap of the Appraise The Praise most recent podcast lab, Practice Makes Perfect, [16:41] we get into the latest moves in the Hot Stove. Kyle Tucker is heading to the Dodgers, and we talk all about how this impacts the current market, the Dodgers rotation, and the future of MLB overall. After a quick detour to peak into the upcoming Superbowl, [30:47] we get into Cody Bellinger staying with the Yankees and what is going on down the road with the Mets, including Bo Bichette joining the squad. [56:41] We end with a quick preview into the recently announced Hall of Fame inductees - Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones.

This week we discuss the Red Sox losing Alex Bregman to the Cubs but signing Ranger Suarez days later. We also discuss the Yankees trading for Ryan Weathers and how this shapes the Al East. We touch on what Tarik Skubal's arbitration hearing could look like and why teams might lowball a player. It's been an interesting offseason so far and a lot of the top names are still out there. The next few weeks should be interesting. Where and when will Kyle Tucker Sign? What happens with Cody Bellinger now and does this out any pressure on the Yankees?

New year, new team - and Caught Em Looking is here to get you caught up! [3:03] We hop right in with an update on the World Baseball Classic roster updates (and all the wild ways one can qualify for a team). Between the stacked rosters for the USA, Dominican Republic, and Japan - the question of how politics will impact the game play lingers in the air. [14:27] We then get into predictions for next season so far, including who are the top contenders for Rookie of the Year and MVP. [29:26] We finally get into all of the off-season moves since before the holidays, including the long awaited signings of the international free agents. [40:14] Finally, we chat about the trends of free agency over the last few years and how the money will stack up moving forward. Join us for all this and more!