MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals sign Jacoby Ellsbury to a 1 year deal

Injuries have prompted the Cardinals to look at the free agent market and bring 37 year old Jacoby Ellsbury out of retirement on a one year deal to see if he can't fill a void that lack of production and injuries have taken from the Cardinals this season.

With Stephen Piscotty and Corey Ray struggling at the MLB level and Harrison Bader being placed on the 60 day DL, and injuries in the minors, the Cardinals elected to lure Ellsbury out of retirement and into a Cardinal uniform on a one year deal worth $4M. Ellsbury after not being retained by the Yankees decided to do a soft retirement, even after hitting over .280 for the Yankees last year. Ellsbury isn't the same player as he once was, and the Yanks decided to go younger, but the Cardinals are hopeful that he can at least fill a void presently left in the outfield position. A ironic turn of events considering how crowded this position was, and is/will be when healthy, at the start of the season.

Right now the Cardinals are rolling with Juan Fabregas in left, Magnerius Sierra in center, and Tommy Pham in right as the starters. Ellsbury, and Eddie Casilla will be the bench players. Stephen Piscotty was optioned back to Memphis where he was when Bader went down with his wrist injury. Piscotty is expected to now stay in Memphis thru the month of June.

The Cardinals are currently 33-28, 8 games behind the Cubs for the Central division. They do currently hold the 2nd wildcard spot, a single game ahead of the Dodgers.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals discussing blockbuster trade with Rays

The first blockbuster trade of the 2021 season may occur in June, and it may involve the St.Louis Cardinals.

For the past few weeks the Cardinals and Rays have been discussing a trade that would involve SP Blake Snell heading to St.Louis for a significant return of highly regarded MLB ready players/prospects and prospects. The players discussed to be possibly going to Tampa Bay:

1B - Brendan McKay
RP - Dean Kiekhefer
3B - Harrison Murdock
C - Devon Snow
SP - Trey Nielsen
OF - Wayde Ynfante

Those 6 names are not set in stone, outside of the top 2 as the Rays will not move off of those two players.

Injuries and subpar performance have plagued the Cardinals this season. Carlos Martinez has hit the DL twice already, Miles Mikolas is there now, Mike Leake is there now, and Austin Gomber is there now. Add to that subpar performances this year by Michael Wacha (his standards at least), Jack Flaherty (struggling in his sophomore season), and Jose Quintana (in Memphis due to poor performance), the Cardinals front office is seriously considering making a move for Snell who comes with one more year of control after this season.

Couple the above with the fact that Michael Wacha is a free agent after the season and not guaranteed to return to St.Louis and the Cardinals are in a sense protecting themselves in the event he does leave.

There is no guarantee this move is going to take place as the Rays are still very much in the hunt for the playoffs in the American League just as the Cardinals are in the National League. And Cardinals front office isn't completely sold on giving up the prospects it would require to land Snell, but is something they have to consider given that starting pitching is turning out to be one of the weakest parts on a team that for the past 5 seasons has enjoyed stellar starting pitching.

If the two teams decide to make a move, expect it to happen sooner rather than later. If nothing happens over the next week, expect nothing to happen at all.

We shall see.

[CHIBHAWKSRULE]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Well the White Sox couldn't over come the Cubs this time as they drop the 2019 World Series in 5 games. Cubs have now won back to back championships and 3rd in the last 4 seasons.

World Series MVP was Gleyber Torres who the Cubs reacquired from the Yankees.

NL Playoff MVP was Willson Contreras

AL Playoff MVP was Eloy Jimenez

The White Sox looking ahead into the off-season will be looking for a top end of the rotation starter and veteran 3rd Baseman as they hope to put their team in position to end the dynasty on the other side of town.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Damn...sucks to get there and then lose man.

Best of luck in 2020

[CHIBHAWKSRULE]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

White Sox have got their true ace in Carlos Carrasco on a 5 yr deal in the 2019 off-season.

The Sox also worked out a trade with Seattle bringing veteran 3B Kyle Seager and minor league starting pitcher Andrew Moore for 2B Yoan Moncada and SP Carson Fulmer.

Sox have also sent 3B Yolmer Sanchez and RP Gregory Infante to the Padres for 2B Luis Urias and RP Adam Cimber

Manager Rick Renteria retired so we hired Lane Bakken as our new Manager. Also hired Jason Phillips as our new Farm Director.

Chris Archer was picked up by the Indians to replace Carrasco

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals claim Tim Beckham off waivers from Pirates

The Cardinals have claimed 31 year old SS/2B Tim Beckham off optional waivers from the Pirates. After the Pirates and Red Sox made a trade, the Pirates decided, surprisingly, to option Tim Beckham to the minors and thus trying to pass him through waivers.

Beckham is hitting .302 with 10 homeruns and 34 RBI's this year. His glove is outstanding and the fact the Pirates opted to put him on waivers was a shock to those around baseball. The Cardinals claimed him and currently have in on the active 25 man roster in place of Marwin Gonzalez, who was optioned to Memphis as a corresponding move.

Whether the Cardinals elect to keep Beckham or trade him remains to be seen. Beckham has just one year left on his current deal, so the Cardinals may be more inclined to keep him considering Marwin Gonzalez's struggles this year at the plate.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals designate Mike Leake for assignment

After acquiring Mike Leake earlier this year from the Yankees in the George Springer deal, the Cardinals have designated Mike Leake for assignment with the intention of outright releasing him. The front office has stated that they will see if there is a market for the 34 year old, but don't believe there will be.

Leake is 4-2 this year with a 4.24 ERA, but his last two starts he has not gotten past the 4th inning. The Cardinals took him on from the Yankees as he did/does provide depth for a banged up rotation, but with guys slowly returning from the DL and already eating up a minor league spot with Jose Quintana, the Cardinals have no desire to put him in AAA or AA and take up a spot for a younger prospect to get innings.

Junior Fernandez will be recalled from Memphis to take his spot. Fernandez got off to a rocky start in his MLB debut season, but has turned it around his last two outings before being optioned when Carlos Martinez returned off the DL.

[george_tsi12]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Who has been the most underrated player for you guys when playing franchise mode, just someone who always seems to do amazing.

For me from a pitching side of things, easily its Eduardo Rodriguez; the guy is a machine and always posts sub-3 ERAs and constantly wins Cy Youngs

From an offensive side, it was hard to narrow this down but,

1. Justin Smoak, the guy has pop, every swing seems to result in a line drive somewhere if not over the fence.

2. Domingo Santana, this guy rakes, no other way to put it, he can mash up there with the best of them, and always seems to make pitchers pay

3. Cory Dickerson, never used him in franchise yet, but this man has insane numbers... normally in the top 10 in every offensive category, while one year in 2019 he posted 43 bombs, hitting .298!!!! He has one multiple MVPs for the Pirates, and I was nothing less than astonished by this.

[Rocket32]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

The Yankees are off to a flaming hot start with a 14-2 record through the first 16 games of the 2020 season as they shredded Baltimore, KC, Oakland, Tampa, and the Twins to open the season. The Yankees winning streak reached 13 games before the Twins managed to put an end to it in the series finale of a 3 game set as the Yankees surprisingly fell by a score of 9-2. Kershaw was scheduled to start the series finale but we decided to push him back a day a d have him start the first of 3 games in the Bronx vs Cleveland and instead sent Sevy to the mound. A day off several days before allowed for that move. Didn’t expect the Twins to be a problem for Severino and figured Kershaw gave us a better chance against the Indians since I struggle a bit pitching with Severino.



The offense has been amazing as expected and nearly unstoppable. We’ve only been held under 5 runs once so far this season, that 9-2 loss to the Twins. The Yankee offense has already put up 134 runs. The closest team to us in runs in the entire MLB is the Indians with 87 runs. We also lead the league in Hits with 204. The Giants are second with 171 hits. We lead the league in Batting Average hitting 337 as a team. Indians are second with a 284 average. And of course, we lead the league in HR’s with 51. Toronto is in second with 30 HR’s.


This team could be historic. In real life the 2018 Yankees currently hold the record for most HR’s in a season with 267. We should beat that easily.
The 2001 Mariners hold the record for most wins in a season with 116. I think we just might be able to do it. I mean if this team can’t then what team can? Can’t get much more stacked then this roster. The best shot at history is now as this team will almost certainly be broken up a bit in the near future as this payroll isn’t sustainable.



On the pitching side of things, Kershaw has been dominant to open the season throwing 6 innings of 1 run ball vs KC, then holding Tampa to 1 run through 8.2 innings. Wacha, who came over at the 2019 trade deadline, has continued his great performance from last year where he pitched to a 2.75 ERA as he’s pitched to a 2.41 ERA early on. Sonny Gray, who is looking to rebound from a down year in 2019 where he finished with a 4.26 ERA, is looking close to his 2018 self again where he had a 3.13 ERA as he has a 3.00 ERA so far. Montgomery has a 3.18 ERA. Severino has surprisingly been the weak link so far with a 4.09 ERA.

Through 5 Innings Kevin Siegrist has a 0.00 ERA. Betances has a 0.00 ERA through 7 innings. Barraclough has struggled in his first few weeks in New York pitching to a 11.25 ERA. He hasn’t received many chances only pitching 4 innings so far but he certainly isn’t making the most of them. Didn’t give up much to get him as he was coming off a poor year in Miami where he had a 5.81 ERA. Was hoping for a huge rebound year. He has the potential to be dominant out of the bullpen but his walk and control issues have often plagued him throughout his career. He’s age 29 so he dosen’t have much time left to get it together.



Next up, 3 at home vs Cleveland, then 4 on the road in Baltimore, a day off, then 3 back at Yankee Stadium vs the Blue Jays, then the A’s come to town for 3, then we head to Detroit for 3 to close out April.



News From Around The League:

Toronto Blue Jays off to hot start. The juggernaut Yankees aren’t the only AL East team cruising early on as Toronto has surprisingly managed to almost keep up with them with a record of 12-3.


Indians on fire early with a 12-4 record.


Slow Start From Several Of MLB’s Best From Last Season.
The LA Angels who won the ALCS last season but came up short in G7 of the WS are off to a cold start with a 6-10 record.
The Seattle Mariners who fell short of a WC spot by 1 game are off to a 6-10 start.
The Phillies who won 90 games and went to the NLCS and lost, are 6-9, even after adding the bat of Anthony Rendon in Free Agency.
Defending WS Champion Cubs have a 7-9 record


Defending Champs Suffering From WS Hangover? After losing to the Yankees in 7 in the WS in 2018, the Cubs marched their way back and won it this time around in 7 to become the 2019 Champions. Could they be headed for a similar fate as the Yankees in their 2019 title defense season where they ended up barely making the WC and losing in the one game playoff, or can they shake it off and wake up? In their latest series they lost 2 of 3 to that dumpster fire in Miami...not looking good.

An important season lies ahead as Quintana, Lester, Morrow, Russell, Josh Fields, Steve Cishek, Hendricks, Drew Smyly, and most importantly, Kris Bryant, are all Free Agents after this season. All of those players are notable MLB pieces for them. Cubs could could look quite a bit different come opening day 2022. Also worth noting Darvish is 33 and Justin Wilson is 32.


Red Birds Flying High.
St Louis has opened the season on fire with a 13-3 record and are taking full advantage of the early season opportunity Chicago is giving them, as they have opened up a 6 game gap on the Cubs. Pittsburgh is in second 3 games behind. They have an important 3 game series about to begin vs the Cubs at Wrigley. A big opportunity here to jump on their rival and biggest threat while they haven’t looked like themselves.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals trade Stephen Piscotty to the Giants

In what can only be described as a difficult decision and move to make, the Cardinals have traded Stephen Piscotty to the Giants. The Cardinals will receive former Cardinal pitching prospect Corey Littrell in return.

The Cardinals have been against this move all offseason and this whole season thus far. The Cardinals even moved George Springer earlier this year when things were going sour both on and off the field in hopes of Piscotty resuming his everyday role in right field. But Piscotty never claimed that spot, and in fact at the time of the trade, Piscotty was a reserve outfielder in Memphis. With Pham playing right thanks to the emergence of Juan Fabregas who is playing left, plus guys like Harrison Bader, Corey Ray, and Eddie Casilla in the mix, the Cardinals just didn't have a home for Piscotty anymore and out of respect to the 30 year old, elected to trade him to a contending team, in his home area, where he will get a chance to play.

In return the Cardinals received LHP Corey Littrell. Littrell came up thru the Cardinals organization and was dealt away in a deal to the Rays. This offseason, Littrell found himself in San Francisco. He was pitching at the AAA level at the time of the trade. Littrell is controllable for 2 more years after this and is on the cusp of being in the major leagues.

Cardinals win 5th straight, move to within 4 of Cubs

The Cardinals won their 5th straight yesterday after beating the Cubs 4-2 in Busch Stadium. The Cardinals have now moved to within 4 games of the Cubs after taking the first 2 of the series, following a sweep of the Padres in the last series.

The Cardinals roster seems balanced with the additions of Tim Beckham and Jacoby Ellsbury. They along with Marwin Gonzalez and Kike Hernandez provide the Cardinals a good bench with guys who could probably be playing every day elsewhere.

The pitching staff is starting to return to the form with Alex Reyes pitching another gem and even Mike Leake who was DFA'd, sent to Memphis and then recalled, pitched a gem in game one of the series going 7 1/3 allowing a run on 4 hits. He chipped in 2 RBI's at the plate with a double and a solo homerun. The bullpen has been dominant as the Cardinals seem settled on it. Joe Kelly who was brought in to provide depth and most likely spend most of the season in AAA, has been arguably the best in the pen.

The Cardinals will have a decision to make in regards to the rotation when Miles Mikolas returns from the DL in about 2 weeks. Mikolas does have option years so its likely that he'll be sent to Memphis to see how well he rebounds from his broken arm.

[ejf0255]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Well don't expect much of MLB19. It's exactly the same. Or the Alpha is. LoL.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Operation Sports mobile app

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cards win 6th straight, sweep Cubs, move to within 3 games

The Cardinals won their 6th straight game and pulled off their second straight sweep, as they defeated the Cubs 5-3 on Father's Day in Busch Stadium. The Cardinals are now just 3 games back of the division leading Cubs.

The Cardinals got another strong pitching performance from Michael Wacha who recorded his 6th win of the season (6-5) after striking out 11 hitters, walking none, and giving up only 2 earned runs. The Cardinals offense was thanks solely to the long ball as Wisdom hit a solo homerun and DeJong a grand slam to tally the 5 runs.

Next up is the beginning of a 7 game road trip with the Cardinals playing 3 in Philadelphia, before heading to Milwaukee for 4 games.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Now that I just completed my first off-season using the new "Phases" UI hub...I can say I love the addition of the new interface. Much cleaner and also you can't screw up forgetting to do any off season tasks. And using 30 team control it also makes it far more streamlined and easier to manage tasks for CPU controlled teams when you want to.

[DJ]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Jay Bruce returns to the Mets' lineup after missing 68 games with a shoulder injury. Hoping his return can re-ignite the offense, which has been mired in a funk the last two weeks.

49-30 and tied with Washington for the NL East lead. I was up double digits in the divisional lead at this time in Year 1. Going to be a season-long battle in 2019.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals remain hot...tied for Central Division lead

Back in April you wondered if it were possible this team could get above .500 baseball. Now with just 5 days left in the month of June, the Cardinals have tied the Cubs for the Central Division lead and own a 46-31 record. And as crazy as it may sound to the fans and the baseball world, the turning point was when the Cardinals decided to trade away prized offseason acquisition, George Springer back in May.

The Cardinals went 18-8 in the month of May. Thus far in June they are 17-6. And they are doing this while still putting pieces of the puzzle together due to injuries. They signed Jacoby Ellsbury to provide some veteran leadership. They traded away fan, and club favorite, Stephen Piscotty because he deserved to be an everyday player and there wasn't a spot for him here. Their starting pitching staff has been patchwork at best with starters going on and off the DL like a revolving door. Their bullpen has finally been put together and they traded off Jordan Walden in the process. It's almost like the Cardinals are winning while re-building for the future.

The Cardinals will close out the month of June with a 3 game homestand versus the AL Central division leading Indians. You know the Indians, the team with the best player in baseball...Mike Trout? Yeah that Indians team. Take 2 out of 3 versus the Tribe and the Cardinals will have gone 2 months without having lost a series. This Cardinals team that in April couldn't win 2 games back to back, all the sudden can't lose 2 back to back and have winning streaks of 7 games (May) and 6 games (June), and are currently on a 2 game winning streak.

This Cardinals team after April, from the front office to the clubhouse, looked themselves in the mirror and said, "this isn't us" and went to work to build this team and win ballgames the way they have the past 5 years, which have resulted in playoff appearances, the Cardinal way.

The Cardinals are back....if that isn't the understatement of the first half of the season to this point.