MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

THE CARDINALS FALTER AS THE REGULAR SEASON COMES TO AN END, BUT THERE IS STILL HOPE FOR A CENTRAL DIVISION TITLE

162 games have been played, but it will take game 163 between the Cubs and the Cardinals to determine who will be the Central Division champion and who will host the Giants in the Wild Card Game.

With 3 weeks left in the season, the Cardinals had a 6 game lead on the Cubs for the divisional crown and things looked great. With a week left to go in the season, the Cardinals trailed the Cubs by a game for the Central division crown and thanks to a sweep by the Reds over the Cubs in the final 3 games of the season, and the Cardinals winning 1 of 3 against the Brewers in Milwaukee, the two teams will play on Monday to determine the Central Division Champion.

To say the Cardinals are frustrated would be an understatement. Not only did the wheels fall off, the whole damn thing exploded in the final weeks as the Cardinals just couldn't win a ballgame it seemed. The bullpen was terrible. Check that, the bullpen was horrendous. Blown saves, blown leads, and just downright piss poor performances are the biggest culprit for the fall. 4 times over the course of the final two weeks, the Cardinals bullpen blew a lead of 5 runs or more! Couple that with us having to rely on Alex Reyes who struggled and Lance Lynn who just seemed to not give a damn, and the Cardinals were in trouble from a pitching standpoint. And while the postseason is upon us, its clear that some roster changes to the pitching staff are a foregone conclusion for this team over the winter months.

The Cardinals will put Jack Flaherty on the mound to face Jon Lester in the one game playoff in Busch. And this isn't the only one game playoff. The White Sox and Twins will play a game 163 to determine the winner of the AL Central. The loser of that matchup will then play the Rays in a game 164 to determine who will travel to Houston to face the Astros in the wild card game.

Your divisional winners:

AL East: Orioles
AL Central: White Sox/Twins
AL West: Rangers
AL Wildcard: Astros, White Sox/Twins


NL East: Marlins
NL Central: Cardinals/Cubs
NL West: Padres
NL Wildcard: Cardinals/Cubs, Giants

As you'll notice, 4 time defending World Series Champion Dodgers missed the playoffs, so there will be a new champion for the first time in 4 years, which all I can say is....FINALLY!!!

The last time the Cardinals played in the Wild Card game, they faced the Giants in 2018 and lost on a walk off homerun to Hunter Pence.

I was going to play Game 163 tonight, but I think I need to take a breather for a moment after the emotional collapse we experienced over the last few weeks. I really don't want to play in the wild card game again.

Game 163....Let's do this!

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

CARDINALS LOSE GAME 163, DIVISION, TO THE CUBS 8-7

Frustrating. Absolutely, unequivocally frustrating. The Cardinals once again had their bullpen let them down as the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 8-7 in 10 innings. Jack Flaherty was on his game, pitching well thru the first 4 innings where he stuck out 7 of the 12 outs. Even though Flaherty was at 78 pitches going to the 5th, Matheny decided to stick with him given how shaky and unreliable the bullpen had been over the past couple of weeks. Flaherty got Addison Russell to ground out, but the next batter Javier Baez took what looked like strike 3 on the inside corner, but home plate umpire Clyde Washington determined it was ball four. With the bullpen up, Matheny decided to let Flaherty go after Contreras who he'd struck out previously but on a 2-1 pitch, Flaherty's change up didn't move and Contreras put it in the left field seats for a 2-0 Cubs lead. Flaherty would exit the game be replaced by Tyler Lyons who would face the pitcher's spot and then the top of the order. Hoping to keep it a 2-0 deficit, Lyons got Lester to pop out. But he would walk Bryant on 4 pitches and then Jason Heyward absolutely demolished a slider that hung over the middle of the plate for a 4-0 lead. With Brebbia getting loose, Lyons would proceed to allow Rizzo to single and then Schwarber to double him home for a 5-0 deficit. Brebbia would close out the 5th.

The bullpen did hold firm the rest of the way, but the Cardinals bats were not to be found. It wasn't until the bottom of the 9th that the Cardinals found their groove, putting up 5 runs (3 with 2 outs) to tie the game and send it to extra innings. After a scoreless 10th, the Cardinals bullpen would strike, although it would be the extra call ups instead of the normal pen. Zach Burdi hit Jason Heyward. He was quickly taken out for Miles Mikolas who would walk Anthony Rizzo and then allow Schwarber to belt a 3 run home run to dead center field for an 8-5 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, the Cardinals would plate two runs thanks to a Harrison Bader 2 run homerun with 1 out, but the Cardinals couldn't do anymore than that, losing the game and the division, 8-7.

The Cardinals will now stay home to face the Giants in the wild card game. The last time these two teams met in the wild card game (2018) the Giants walked off on a Hunter Pence homerun. Hopefully this time the Cardinals will find a way to get past the wild card and into the NLDS to face the Padres.

American League

The White Sox defeated the Twins 3-2 to clinch the AL Central. The Twins will now travel to Tampa Bay from Chicago to face the Rays in a game 164, to see who will be the 2nd wildcard team and travel to Houston to face the Astros.

The Twins ended up beating the Rays in Game 164 to clinch the 2nd wildcard spot and will be playing the Astros in the AL Wild Card Game.

Here are the playoff matchups:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

WILD CARD

Twins @ Astros

ALDS

Twins/Astros @ Orioles
White Sox @ Rangers

NATIONAL LEAGUE

WILD CARD

Giants @ Cardinals

NLDS

Giants/Cardinals @ Padres
Marlins @ Cubs

October baseball...gotta love it!

[GWPump23]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

CARDINALS LOSE GAME 163, DIVISION, TO THE CUBS 8-7

Frustrating. Absolutely, unequivocally frustrating. The Cardinals once again had their bullpen let them down as the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 8-7 in 10 innings. Jack Flaherty was on his game, pitching well thru the first 4 innings where he stuck out 7 of the 12 outs. Even though Flaherty was at 78 pitches going to the 5th, Matheny decided to stick with him given how shaky and unreliable the bullpen had been over the past couple of weeks. Flaherty got Addison Russell to ground out, but the next batter Javier Baez took what looked like strike 3 on the inside corner, but home plate umpire Clyde Washington determined it was ball four. With the bullpen up, Matheny decided to let Flaherty go after Contreras who he'd struck out previously but on a 2-1 pitch, Flaherty's change up didn't move and Contreras put it in the left field seats for a 2-0 Cubs lead. Flaherty would exit the game be replaced by Tyler Lyons who would face the pitcher's spot and then the top of the order. Hoping to keep it a 2-0 deficit, Lyons got Lester to pop out. But he would walk Bryant on 4 pitches and then Jason Heyward absolutely demolished a slider that hung over the middle of the plate for a 4-0 lead. With Brebbia getting loose, Lyons would proceed to allow Rizzo to single and then Schwarber to double him home for a 5-0 deficit. Brebbia would close out the 5th.

The bullpen did hold firm the rest of the way, but the Cardinals bats were not to be found. It wasn't until the bottom of the 9th that the Cardinals found their groove, putting up 5 runs (3 with 2 outs) to tie the game and send it to extra innings. After a scoreless 10th, the Cardinals bullpen would strike, although it would be the extra call ups instead of the normal pen. Zach Burdi hit Jason Heyward. He was quickly taken out for Miles Mikolas who would walk Anthony Rizzo and then allow Schwarber to belt a 3 run home run to dead center field for an 8-5 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, the Cardinals would plate two runs thanks to a Harrison Bader 2 run homerun with 1 out, but the Cardinals couldn't do anymore than that, losing the game and the division, 8-7.

The Cardinals will now stay home to face the Giants in the wild card game. The last time these two teams met in the wild card game (2018) the Giants walked off on a Hunter Pence homerun. Hopefully this time the Cardinals will find a way to get past the wild card and into the NLDS to face the Padres.

American League

The White Sox defeated the Twins 3-2 to clinch the AL Central. The Twins will now travel to Tampa Bay from Chicago to face the Rays in a game 164, to see who will be the 2nd wildcard team and travel to Houston to face the Astros.

The Twins ended up beating the Rays in Game 164 to clinch the 2nd wildcard spot and will be playing the Astros in the AL Wild Card Game.

Here are the playoff matchups:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

WILD CARD

Twins @ Astros

ALDS

Twins/Astros @ Orioles
White Sox @ Rangers

NATIONAL LEAGUE

WILD CARD

Giants @ Cardinals

NLDS

Giants/Cardinals @ Padres
Marlins @ Cubs

October baseball...gotta love it!

“So you’re saying there’s a chance?” Keep after it Countryboy!

Enjoying your write ups this season & appreciate the positive vibe you spread around here :-)

-GW-

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

WACHA'S ARM AND CARPENTER'S BAT PROPEL CARDINALS TO NLDS MATCHUP WITH PADRES

Michael Wacha pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball. Matt Carpenter hit a solo homerun in the 1st, and then drove in another run in the 5th, and that would be all the Cardinals needed to avenge a 2018 wild card game loss to the Giants, and win 2-1. The bullpen was 50/50 in this matchup for the Cardinals. Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect 8th. Rosenthal struggled to close out the game in the 9th. After striking out Josh Reddick, Lorenzo Cain singled up the middle. With one on and one out, Rosenthal would then strike out Miguel Gomez as it appeared he was on his way to closing out the game. But Rosenthal would walk Buster Posey to put two on with two out. With Brandon Belt at the plate on a 2-2 pitch, Belt would line a pitch down the right field line scoring Lorenzo Cain, but for whatever reason the Giants tried sending Posey to tie the game, but Piscotty hit Kolten Wong on a laser throw, who in turn delivered a strike to the Navarro at the plate who tagged out Posey by 2 steps to secure the victory for the Cardinals.

Next up is Game 1 of the NLDS with the Padres in San Diego. The Cardinals will send Carlos Martinez to the hill to square off with Mackenzie Gore.

The Cardinals are projected to have Martinez pitch Game 1, Jack Flaherty pitch Game 2, and then depending on the series, they will either start Lance Lynn or Michael Wacha is Game 3. Lance Lynn has been horrendous in September and in a 5 game series, the Cardinals are looking at ways to potentially not use him, but don't have a 4th option they feel comfortable with to add to the roster. Miles Mikolas has been injured and struggled in his return. Luke Weaver and Alex Reyes have been too inconsistent and young to put in this situation.

October baseball....gotta love it!

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

FOR THE 2ND YEAR IN A ROW, THE CARDINALS SEASON ENDS IN THE NLDS

The Cardinals 2020 season has come to a close as the Padres defeated the Cardinals in the NLDS in 5 games. The Padres took games 1 & 2 in San Diego, but the Cardinals evened the series in Busch in games 3 & 4. Unfortunately, Game 5 was back at Petco Park and the Padres eliminated the Cardinals from postseason play.

Series Results:

Game 1 - SD 3-2
Game 2 - SD 9-6 (Cardinals blew a 6-0 lead)
Game 3 - STL 6-4
Game 4 - STL 5-2
Game 5 - SD 6-3

The Cardinals will head into the offseason and winter meetings looking to see what it takes to finally get over the hump and into the World Series. The Cardinals have made the playoffs 5 straight years. First two they lost in the NLCS to the Dodgers, in 2018 they lost to the Giants in the Wild Card Game, last year they lost in a sweep to the Mets in the NLDS, and this year they lose in 5 games to the Padres in the NLDS.

PLAYOFF RESULTS

AMERICAN LEAGUE

WILD CARD GAME

Astros def Twins

[ALDS

White Sox def Rangers 3-1
Orioles def Astros 3-0

ALCS

Orioles def White Sox 4-1

NATIONAL LEAGUE

WILD CARD GAME

Cardinals def Giants

NLDS

Marlins def Cubs 3-1
Padres def Cardinals 3-2

NLCS

Marlins def Padres 4-1

WORLD SERIES

Marlins def Orioles 4-2

The Miami Marlins are your 2020 World Series Champions!

--

To say that I am frustrated and dejected would be an understatement. I really thought that we had the team to get the World Series this year, but we just played poor baseball during the month of September, and actually after the All-Star Break. I have roster moves in mind, but as always will scope out the market before 100% commitment.

Offseason time....

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

For those wondering if potential does in fact change....

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

NOTABLE 2020 RETIREMENTS

Robinson Cano
Albert Pujols
Francisco Rodriguez
Jose Reyes
Greg Holland


HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Francisco Rodriguez
Albert Pujols

[Itsma806]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

For those wondering if potential does in fact change....

Yeah I've noticed my players potential changing as well. Another tough playoff loss.

It's crazy to see your carry over league opposed to leagues that started in 2018. I imagine the Marlins still have Stanton, Yelich etc. They could have actually been good.

Good luck in the offseason!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Yeah I've noticed my players potential changing as well. Another tough playoff loss.

It's crazy to see your carry over league opposed to leagues that started in 2018. I imagine the Marlins still have Stanton, Yelich etc. They could have actually been good.

Good luck in the offseason!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Yeah the Marlins are really good. They still have Stanton, Yelich, and Dee Gordon. They also have the two time reigning Batting Champ in Jordan Rodriguez. Their pitching staff is young but talented.

Thanks. I'm sitting here at work thinking about moves I need to make. Still bummed about the loss. I thought we were going to the World Series this year, I really did. But we just chose to play poor baseball at the most inopportune time.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATION PERIOD FOR THE CARDINALS

The Cardinals have 8 players that they must make a decision on during the exclusive negotiation period. 6 involve contracts and 2 are club options on players. Here is who those players are and what is expected] to happen with each:

Trevor Rosenthal - CP
Asking - 5 yrs at $10M per year

Rosenthal had for the most part a great season as he closed 47 games this year, although he did sputter down the stretch. The Cardinals are expected to re-sign him to a deal although not sure it will be the exact 5 years that he's asking but the Cardinals will most likely match his asking price as they have $98M to spend this offseason before any trades.

Roberto Osuna - RP/CP
Asking - 4 yrs at $8M per year

Osuna was the most consistent pitcher for the Cardinals in the pen this year since his acquisition. Re-signing Osuna (and Carpenter) were the Cardinals top priority for the offseason. Osuna does want to be the closer, but at this time the Cardinals want to keep him as the 8th inning set up man. He will get his years and asking price.


Matt Carpenter - 1B
Asking - 2 yrs at $9M per year

Carpenter was the homerun king in the National League belting 38 homeruns to go with 101 RBI's. He only hit .260 this year which was his lowest average since he became an everyday player. Carpenter is one of the players the Cardinals are determined to sign this offseason. His 2 years may be much (probably give it to him making the 2nd year and option year), but we will re-sign him.

Jordan Walden - RP
Asking - 4 yrs at $6M per year

Jordan Walden was the 8th inning guy. After the trade for Osuan, Walden was moved to the 7th inning. He struggled this year, especially after the break (as did most of the pen). Walden's asking price is too much for the Cardinals right now, as they expect to replace Walden with youngster Jordan Hicks. The Cardinals will let Walden hit the open market and then maybe try to sign him later if other options don't pan out.

Trevor Lyons - LR/RP/SP
Asking - 5 yrs at $5M per year

Over the years, Lyons has been reliable for the Cardinals whether it be long relief, relief, or spot starting. This year, Lyons was shaky and didn't have the best of year. Still his ERA was under 4 and he logged 25 more innings this year than in 2019. The Cardinals will most likely re-sign Lyons, although there will be some negotiating that takes place, as the Cardinals don't want to lock into Lyons for that long, at that value.

Dioner Navarro - C
Asking - 2 years at $4M per year

Navarro was a much needed edition a few seasons ago when Yadier Molina suddenly retired. The catching staff was young and the Cardinals needed a veteran presence to help the young guys out. Navarro did that and was serviceable with the bat and behind the plate. But Navarro is on the decline in terms of ability behind the plate and has a well below arm for a catcher. While he still hit close to .260 this year and was key in the Cardinals brief playoff appearance, Navarro will be allowed to hit the open market as the Cardinals are committed to Carson Kelly as the everyday catcher for the 2021 season.

Sam Freeman - RP
$2M Club Option

Freeman has been solid for the Cardinals and was again this year. Freeman not only is dominant against lefties, but he has the stuff to get out righties as well. Freeman is still young and the Cardinals will easily pick up his club option for 2021.

Marwin Gonzalez - IF
$4M Club Option

Another no brainer exercise of a club option for the Cardinals. Gonzalez was great off the bench and provided much needed lifts in September when the Cardinals were struggling. Gonzalez hit .285 with 10 homeruns and 52 RBI's in a backup role. He will be there again this year as the Cardinals infield will be set (1B - Carpenter, 2B - Wong, SS - DeJong, 3B - Wisdom) but he will be called up to be the first reserve off the bench. Gonzalez may find himself platooning with Carpenter at first as Carpenter really struggles with left handed pitching this days (hit .134 this year against lefties)

[CHIBHAWKSRULE]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

The 2018 Chicago White Sox finish the season 79-83, 4th place in the AL Central 10 games behind division winning Minnesota Twins.

The Chicago Cubs won the World Series 4 games to 2 over those Minnesota Twins.

Hitting Stats

Spoiler

C. Tilson .304 avg, 3 HR, 37 RBI, 170 Hits, 30 SB, .359 OBP, .422 Slug, 48 BB
T. Anderson .252 avg, 7 HR, 49 RBI, 155 Hits, 25 SB, .286 OBP, .365 Slug, 24 BB
W. Castillo .251 avg, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 134 Hits, 2 SB, .289 OBP, .422 Slug, 25 BB
J. Abreu .321 avg, 50 HR, 119 RBI, 198 Hits, 5 SB, .380 OBP, .645 Slug, 56 BB
Y. Sanchez .260 avg, 13 HR, 52 RBI, 138 Hits, 8 SB, .314 OBP, .399 Slug, 37 BB
L. Garcia .253 avg, 10 HR, 54 RBI, 106 Hits, 8 SB, .300 OBP, .415 Slug, 24 BB
A. Engel .281 avg, 4 HR, 32 RBI, 74 Hits, 18 SB, .327 OBP, .388 Slug, 14 BB
M. Davidson .240 avg, 36 HR, 102 RBI, 138 Hits, 0 SB .284 OBP, .478 Slug, 30 BB
A. Garcia .256 avg, 9 HR, 52 RBI, 129 Hits, 9 SB, .311 OBP, .378 Slug, 37 BB
Y. Moncada .242 avg, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 64 Hits, 7 SB, .307 OBP, .358 Slug, 25 BB
N. Delmonico .242 avg, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 81 Hits, 3 SB, .290 OBP, .355 Slug, 20 BB
O. Navraez .242 avg, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 22 Hits, 0 SB, .303 OBP, .297 Slug, 7 BB
D. Palka .205 avg, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 36 Hits, 3 SB, .288 OBP, .315 Slug, 20 BB
J. Giavotella .207 avg, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 12 Hits, 0 SB, .258 OBP, .362 Slug, 4 BB
J. Rondon .435 avg, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 10 Hits, 0 SB, .435 OBP, .609 Slug, 0 BB
R. Cordell 2/7, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 Hits, 0 SB, .444 OBP, .285 Slug, 1 BB
J. May 1/15, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 Hit, 0 SB, .125 OBP, .067 Slug, 1 BB
D. Garneau .094 avg, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 Hits, 0 SB, .147 OBP, .281 Slug, 2 BB
K. Smith 0/3, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 Hits, 0 SB, .000 OBP, .000 Slug, 0 BB

Pitching Stats

Spoiler

M. Gonzalez 9-7, 4.58 ERA, 119 K's, 167 IP, 1.37 WHIP
C. Rodon 9-18, 4.18 ERA, 164 K's, 185 IP, 1.45 WHIP
R. Lopez 14-11, 4.22 ERA, 124 K's, 185.1 IP, 1.41 WHIP
H. Santiago 14-12, 3.21 ERA, 161 K's, 185.1 IP, 1.39 WHIP
S. Kazmir 2-2, 3.00 ERA, 51 K's, 63 IP, 1.44 WHIP
L. Giolito 5-9, 4.77 ERA, 116 K's, 158.1 IP, 1.54 WHIP, 1 Save
J. Shields 4-2, 8.52 ERA, 23 K's, 43.1 IP, 1.64 WHIP
D. Covey 2-3, 4.94 ERA, 41 K's, 51 IP, 1.31 WHIP
M. Kopech 2-4, 5.73 ERA, 26 K's, 33 IP, 1.39 WHIP
D. Farquhar 4-2, 3.59 ERA, 84 K's, 80.1 IP, 1.24 WHIP
L. Avilan 3-1, 5.01 ERA, 43 K's, 46.2 IP, 1.63 WHIP
T. Zych 3-1, 1.47 ERA, 50 K's, 49 IP, 1.06 WHIP
J. Soria 1-1, 2.03 ERA, 41 K's, 48.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 2 Saves
N. Jones 1-5, 2.66 ERA, 50 K's, 61 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 48 Saves
G. Infante 5-3, 5.11 ERA, 35 K's, 44 IP, 1.45 WHIP
J. Fry 1-0, 4,74 ERA, 21 K's, 19 IP, 1.47 WHIP, 1 Save
R. Scahill 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 5 K's, 8 IP, 1.75 WHIP
B. Rondon 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 4 K's, 1.2 IP, 4.20 WHIP
A. Bummer 0-1, 13.50 ERA, 4 K's, 2 IP, 2.50 WHIP
C. Fulmer 0-1, 9.45 ERA, 11 K's, 13.1 IP, 2.33 WHIP
J. Minaya 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 K's, 2.2 IP, 1.13 WHIP
J. Gomez 0-0, 0.00, 2 K's, 2 IP, 0.00 WHIP

League Leaders

Spoiler

AL

AVG--------------HR-----------------RBI----------------SB
R. Devers .329----J.D. Martinez 54----J.D. Martinez 128---D. Gordon 44
N. Mazara .324----J. Abreu 50--------J. Abreu 119 -------M. Smith 35
J. Abreu .321-----N. Cruz 47----------M. Sano 118--------E. Nunez 33
A. Beltre .318-----R. Grichuk 44-------R. Grichuk 114------C. Tilson 30
M. Brantley .317--M. Sano 39---------N. Cruz 111--------T. Wade 27
-----------------E. Nunez 39

ERA--------------Wins----------------Strikeouts---------Saves
D. Price 2.45-----D. Price 23----------C. Sale 280--------C. Kimbrel 50
C. Carrasco 2.48--C. Sale 21-----------C. Kluber 274------K. Giles 49
N. Eovaldi 2.49----C. Carrasco 19------C. Archer 242------N. Jones 48
G. Richards 2.54---M. Fulmer 18--------D. Price 232-------A. Reed 47
D. Duffy 2.58-----C. Archer 17---------C. Carrasco 229-----B. Parker 45


NL

AVG----------------HR-----------------RBI----------------SB
F. Freeman .328----J. Baez 40----------J. Baez 120--------E. Inciarte 28
J. Martinez .323 ----Y. Cespedes 39-----A. Rizzo 106-------A. Jackson 26
D.J. LaMehieu .306--F. Freeman 38------F. Freeman 102----L Cain 25
R. Acuna Jr. .304----J. Bour 34----------J. Bour 99---------J. Dyson 24
J. Baez .298--------A. Rizzo 33----------K. Bryant 98-------C. Maybin 24
--------------------K. Bryant 33---------------------------C. Taylor 24

ERA-----------------Wins--------------Strikeouts---------Saves
M. Scherzer 1.72----J. Quintana 20-----M Scherzer 267---B. Morrow 57
J. Lester 1.96-------J. Lester 19--------C. Martinez 226---B. Norris 57
K. Hendricks 2.11----K. Hendricks 19----J. Quintana 219---W. Davis 54
J. Samardzija 2.13---J. Samardzija 19---J. Samradzija 218---J. Familia 50
M. Wacha 2.32------J. Hellickson 18----A. Nola 215--------K. Jansen 49

Awards

Spoiler

AL
MVP - J.D. Martinez
Cy Young - C. Sale
Rookie - Marcos Gonzalez
Reliever - K. Giles
Batting - R. Devers
H. Aaron - J. Abreu
Playoff MVP - B. Dozier

NL
MVP - J. Baez
Cy Young - J. Quintana
Rookie - J. Lucchesi
Reliever - W. Davis
Batting - F. Freeman
H. Aaron - F. Freeman
Playoff MVP - B. Zobrist
World Series MVP: Ben Zobrist

Hall of Fame Inductees

Spoiler

Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki

The White Sox head into offseason looking for a left handed reliever and possibly another veteran starting pitcher. Otherwise not planning on making any splash signings as they wait the arrival of Top Prospect Eloy Jimenez sometime in 2019

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals re-sign Carpenter, Osuna, Lyons, and Grichuk. Freeman elects free agency

Editor's Note: I failed to mention Randal Grichuk as one of the exclusive negotiation players for the Cardinals earlier. I also failed to mention that Marwin Gonzalez and Sam Freeman had player options along with the club option.

The Cardinals have gotten their man..err men. The two top targets for the Cardinals have been re-signed. Matt Carpenter agreed to a 1 year $9.2M deal. Carpenter is coming off a season where he was the homerun king in the NL belting 38 homers. Carp wanted 2 years, but at the age of 35 and his decline in hitting left handed pitching, he and the Cardinals agreed to a one year deal.

26 year old Roberto Osuna agreed to a 4 year, $33.5M deal with the Cardinals. Osuna was easily the most reliable pitcher in the bullpen last year for St.Louis and will be tagged as the 8th inning guy, provided the Cardinals can get Trevor Rosenthal to re-sign. If Rosenthal walks away and tests the market, expect the Cardinals to not pursue him and move Osuna into the closer role, at a discounted price of $8.5M per season.

The Cardinals also re-signed Tyler Lyons to a 2 year deal worth $4.4M with a club option for 2022. Lyons struggled a bit last year in a bigger role as he was relied upon more in 2020. The Cardinals hope to reduce his role a bit this year as Lyons seemed to wear out as the season progressed.

Randal Grichuk agreed to a one year deal at $7M. The Cardinals are still not committed to the 29 year old and may end up trading Grichuk at some point during the offseason. But at the very least, they secure Gricuk as either the everyday left fielder or a bench role at an extremely valuable price, although Grichuk's production last year was poor.

Sam Freeman declined his $2M player option and has elected to test free agency, where he will absolutely obtain more money. The Cardinals had hoped the 30 year old would stick around, but he didn't. The Cardinals will attempt to get into a bidding war with just about anybody as they are in need of left handed relief, and Freeman's production in St.Louis has been nothing short of stellar.

The Cardinals exercised their $4M club option on Marwin Gonzalez, and are now awaiting his decision on his player option. If he declines, expect the Cardinals to open the check book to re-sign Gonzalez. I suspect he'll decline in hopes of getting a more lucrative deal and security provided his performance this year. The Cardinals do not want to lose Gonzalez.

Trevor Rosenthal still hasn't decided what to do with the Cardinals 5 year $55M offer. Rosenthal still has 3 days before the exclusive negotiations period ends. The $11M per year deal puts him, at this time, as the 4th highest paid closer in the game.

Jordan Walden and Dioner Navarro haven't been extended contracts and don't expect Navarro to be given an offer. However, the Cardinals are considering now giving Walden a contract since Freeman declined his option, and if nothing else trade him during the offseason. Walden's asking price is high, but the Cardinals may look to see what they can do to get him signed as a security blanket in the event their plans don't work out.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals get Rosenthal, Walden, and Gonzalez exercises his option

The Cardinals had a good exclusive contract negotiation period of the offseason. The Cardinals were able to re-sign just about everyone they wanted, except for Sam Freeman.

On the last day of the exclusive contract period, the Cardinals got Trevor Rosenthal and Jordan Walden to accept their contract offers. They also got Marwin Gonzalez to exercise his player option for the 2021 season.

Trevor Rosenthal signed his 5 year $55M deal to be the closer for next season. With this contract, Rosenthal is the 4th highest paid closer in baseball.

Jordan Walden signed his 2 year $11M offer. The Cardinals weren't keen on re-signing Walden, but when Freeman declined his player option, the Cardinals quickly offered a contract to Walden as a security blanket. The belief is that the Cardinals will look to improve their bullpen and trade away Walden over the winter months.

Marwin Gonzalez exercised his $4M player option for 2021. Gonzalez was tremendous off the bench for the Cardinals last year. Expect even more from Gonzalez this year as it is expected he will platoon with Carpenter at 1st Base, as Carpenter continues to decline in his ability to hit left handed pitching.

Exclusive Contract Period Ends...Free Agency is upon us...and well...its BIG

Free agency is upon us. And well...the names out there are pretty big. Here are the top free agents on the market that are available this winter.

CF - Mike Trout AGE 29
SP - Jacob DeGrom AGE 32
SP - Chris Archer AGE 32
SP - Masahiro Tanaka AGE 32
SP - Max Scherzer AGE 36
RF - George Springer AGE 31
LF - Justin Upton AGE 33
CF - Kevin Kiermaier AGE 30
RP - Brad Hand AGE 31
2B - Rougned Odor AGE 27
CP - Ken Giles AGE 30
SS - Troy Tulowitzki AGE 36
LF - Jake Marisnick AGE 30
1B - Mark Canha AGE 32
SS - Andrelton Simmons AGE 31
2B - Joe Panik AGE 30
CF - Joc Pederson AGE 28
RF - Gregory Polanco AGE 29
CP - Jeurys Familia AGE 31
SP - Trevor Bauer AGE 30
CP - Drew Storen AGE 33
CP - Mark Melancon AGE 36
SP - Jesse Hahn AGE 31
RP - Yimi Garcia AGE 30
SP - Alex Wood AGE 30
RF - David Peralta AGE 33
SP - Jimmy Nelson AGE 31
SP - Collin McHugh AGE 33
LF - Khris Davis AGE 33
CF - Abraham Almonte AGE 31
RP - Sam Freeman AGE 33
SP - Kyle Gibson AGE 33
SP - Nathan Eovaldi AGE 31
LF - Ian Desmond AGE 35
CF - Delino DeShields Jr AGE 28
1B - Yonder Alonso AGE 33
SS - Alcides Escobar AGE 34

Going to be an interesting and entertaining Winter....

[GWPump23]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals get Rosenthal, Walden, and Gonzalez exercises his option

The Cardinals had a good exclusive contract negotiation period of the offseason. The Cardinals were able to re-sign just about everyone they wanted, except for Sam Freeman.

On the last day of the exclusive contract period, the Cardinals got Trevor Rosenthal and Jordan Walden to accept their contract offers. They also got Marwin Gonzalez to exercise his player option for the 2021 season.

Trevor Rosenthal signed his 5 year $55M deal to be the closer for next season. With this contract, Rosenthal is the 4th highest paid closer in baseball.

Jordan Walden signed his 2 year $11M offer. The Cardinals weren't keen on re-signing Walden, but when Freeman declined his player option, the Cardinals quickly offered a contract to Walden as a security blanket. The belief is that the Cardinals will look to improve their bullpen and trade away Walden over the winter months.

Marwin Gonzalez exercised his $4M player option for 2021. Gonzalez was tremendous off the bench for the Cardinals last year. Expect even more from Gonzalez this year as it is expected he will platoon with Carpenter at 1st Base, as Carpenter continues to decline in his ability to hit left handed pitching.

Exclusive Contract Period Ends...Free Agency is upon us...and well...its BIG

Free agency is upon us. And well...the names out there are pretty big. Here are the top free agents on the market that are available this winter.

CF - Mike Trout AGE 29
SP - Jacob DeGrom AGE 32
SP - Chris Archer AGE 32
SP - Masahiro Tanaka AGE 32
SP - Max Scherzer AGE 36
RF - George Springer AGE 31
LF - Justin Upton AGE 33
CF - Kevin Kiermaier AGE 30
RP - Brad Hand AGE 31
2B - Rougned Odor AGE 27
CP - Ken Giles AGE 30
SS - Troy Tulowitzki AGE 36
LF - Jake Marisnick AGE 30
1B - Mark Canha AGE 32
SS - Andrelton Simmons AGE 31
2B - Joe Panik AGE 30
CF - Joc Pederson AGE 28
RF - Gregory Polanco AGE 29
CP - Jeurys Familia AGE 31
SP - Trevor Bauer AGE 30
CP - Drew Storen AGE 33
CP - Mark Melancon AGE 36
SP - Jesse Hahn AGE 31
RP - Yimi Garcia AGE 30
SP - Alex Wood AGE 30
RF - David Peralta AGE 33
SP - Jimmy Nelson AGE 31
SP - Collin McHugh AGE 33
LF - Khris Davis AGE 33
CF - Abraham Almonte AGE 31
RP - Sam Freeman AGE 33
SP - Kyle Gibson AGE 33
SP - Nathan Eovaldi AGE 31
LF - Ian Desmond AGE 35
CF - Delino DeShields Jr AGE 28
1B - Yonder Alonso AGE 33
SS - Alcides Escobar AGE 34

Going to be an interesting and entertaining Winter....

You’re going for season #3?

ANIMAL!!!!!

-GW-

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

You’re going for season #3?

ANIMAL!!!!!

-GW-

Yes I am.

Season #3 should be completed in time to carryover after the offseason to MLB 19