MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

[millertime98]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Orioles Franchise Rebuild The Show '18: Year 4, 2021
30 Team Control

Free Agents: With 30 Team Control I've decided to open it up this season. A few players like Posey, Chapman and Jansen exercised their options for 2021. However, some players I decided not to re-sign or give a qualifying offer to in order to have a big free agent class.

First off is...Mike Trout 29-99-A Of course he is the one everyone has been waiting for. In the first off season (I started soon after the Puig-Kemp-Wood trade) I signed Harper to the White Sox (it was a real chance back then) and Machado to the Phillies (so was that).

Now, the debate is what 3 (I wish it could be more) teams are going to be in on Trout. Currently, after signing Harper, I've seen articles about the Angels extending him or the Phillies going after him. I think I'm going to eliminate the Angels. I'm considering the Phillies because of all the speculation about that connection for years now. Also, they've gotten Machado, Arrieta, etc and have no titles to show for it. They have a young and talented OF but some are getting older and haven't produced. Signing Trout would have a massive ripple effect.

Of course, I'm running the Orioles and would love to sign him. He is from New Jersey and Baltimore is East Coast-ish. It's a 3 hour drive to New Jersey which is closer than LA...
He would be a part of a rebuild that, with a long term contract, would be in it's stride for the last several years of his deal. Baltimore is young and talented. It would be similar to Machado going to the Padres. Much of the selling point to him was the future based on their prospect ratings.

With that in mind, one of the top destinations for him would be Toronto. With Vlad Jr, Bichette, Grichuk signed to an extension plus draft picks and young pitching, the Blue Jays could be a future power.

Of course, the Yankees will be in the mix. Boston has offered a 5 year deal to Mookie Betts but he hasn't signed yet and has become a Free Agent as well. If someone can steal him away Boston would have room for him.

The other fringe or long shot teams for him could be the A's: they have saved enough money over the years that they have to spend it sometime. I really want to see the long time losing teams have a legit shot at the playoffs and a title. While the A's surprised everyone IRL with 95 wins in '18, they haven't been as successful in my Franchise.

San Diego is also a possibility. Perhaps Trout enjoyed the left coast and sees the Padres stars of the future having a legit shot. The Dodgers stronghold can't last forever and a long term deal could set him and the Padres up for a ton of success.

The final and longest shot is Miami. They are very young but I would think the no sales tax, the life in Miami and the money they could offer would be a solid option for him.

The other top free agent is deGroom. He is a stud. He is a stud who succeeded in NY. However, the man wants to see what else is out there. With pitchers like Kluber and Salazar possibly on the market this could be a major SP carousel this off season.

deGroom will likely get a solid offer from the Mets but IF Trout signs in division it could make him want to leave. I'd like to see the aforementioned sleepers for Trout in the running for deGroom as well.

The A's have had young pitching forever but now they are entering their upper 20's and early 30's. They need an Ace.

Miami could be transformed with just one signing and pitching would be a major start.

The Padres are in the same boat. It seems in this game the young pitchers don't progress as quickly as some do IRL. I'd like to see a few pitchers go from 20-68-A or B to 23-85-A or B
It feels like they usually don't get there until 27-33. That's too late when you are trying to do a legit rebuild.

Obviously the Yankees are in. They have been hunting him for years. If they signed him they would have to move a few guys. The ripple effect options are outstanding.

Virtually every team could be in on this pitcher and I'd like to see what happens!

Updates as they roll in.

[edeadstroke]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

CB, I asked about playing or simming because I too play every Major League game, and had I been you, it would have been really hard not to replay a World Series. Especially after devoting so much time. Hell, I was crushed inside losing 2 out of 3 to the Pi-RATS in an early season regular series. I was rooting for you. Have a productive offseason and get them in year 2.

[Councilmann_Jamm]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

CB, I asked about playing or simming because I too play every Major League game, and had I been you, it would have been really hard not to replay a World Series. Especially after devoting so much time. Hell, I was crushed inside losing 2 out of 3 to the Pi-RATS in an early season regular series. I was rooting for you. Have a productive offseason and get them in year 2.

Nonono. Playing all those games, losing the world series and replaying so you win takes away the whole reason of doing the 162.

I played 162 and only won 51 games. Onward and upward. Replaying games is a no go!

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Operation Sports mobile app

[JoshC1977]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Quoting my previous post (in spoiler to keep things clean) for a little context.

Spoiler

Update on my Reds franchise. We are offically through the first half of the season (game-wise), finishing at 40-41. As might be expected by that record, we have been up and down all season...but oddly, never more than 2 games +/- .500 at any one point (and 7 games out of first in the NL Central). This also marks the first time I have ever made it to the halfway point of the season on any version of MLB.....

Pitching is going downhill after a hot start (aside from a breakout season by Robert Stephenson who is 10-2 with a sub 3 ERA and solid work by Luis Castillo in only a handful of starts following an injury). The offense continues to be (quite literally) hit or miss; ranking in the top 5 in the NL in HRs while sporting a .233 team average. Votto has finally pushed his average into the .270s though with Suarez, Pollock and Gennett in the .260 range. Sore spots thus far have been Catcher and Shortstop and as we're hanging in the race, I am debating going for significant upgrades for at least one of those two positions. The farm system doesn't have a ton of attractive options at either spot.

There is a part of me that REALLY wants to go after Brandon Crawford. I'm a total sucker for elite defensive Shortstops and as his contract is prohibitive (he has a couple of years left on his deal), the Giants aren't asking for a ton. Wilson Ramos is on the block (as he was IRL last year) but I still believe in Barnhart and giving up prospects for a 3 month rental is less than appealing (but he'd be a nice addition). I did recently acquire Matt Duffy from the Rays to fill a reserve role and while I'd take a big hit defensively, might have to give him some reps at SS to try to get some offensive production there.

If I decide to play the "long game" and build for the future, I may wind up trading Scooter and possibly Pollock (though I REALLY want to re-sign him). I have a plethora of good-but-not-great relief pitchers and those are always in demand....I might try to see what we can get there. In all honesty, this is probably the route I will wind-up taking.

Interestingly, our September schedule is not all that daunting...and while that is REALLY looking ahead, I could foresee a scenario where we hold at .500 the next couple of months and posiiton ourselves for a WC run in September with the current roster.

Really enjoying how this narrative has unfolded....

Well, I decided on my strategy and as a smaller market team, I think it makes sense. We're not good enough to go "all in" and land a big name. We aren't bad enough to unload assets for prospects. We aren't rich enough to take on big, long-term deals. So, what do we do? We build along the margins by adding multiple 1-win assets vs one or two 3-win assets. So, I continued the trend I have gone with all season and went bargain shopping again. (and frankly I am not one to wait for July 31st...if we can makes moves, let's make them)

The Astros had a perfectly fine-and-dandy Collin McHugh buried on the roster as a long reliever. But, as a starter, and placed in the rotation, he got a decent little bump in overall to a nice 80 overall. That's a starter on my team! Sold for a young but marginal B prospect!

I put DeSclafani on the block (to drop some salary). The Yankees came calling and offered me a package of a buried Kahnle and an expiring contract in Ronald Torreyes (for DeSclafani and lefty specialist Luis Avilan). Well, "butter me biscuits"....that's is not one, but TWO upgrades...with Torreyes able to play multiple positions, field well, and provide speed off the bench and Kahnle giving me a sorely needed improvement in my bullpen.

The Royals also had veteran hurler Jason Hammel on the block (IIRC with an expiring deal). Welcome to the Reds Jason!

So, below is my opening day roster and where the roster stands just before the All Star break....(note: this encompasses a number of moves I've made throughout the year....not just a slew here recently)

C - Tucker Barnhart
1B - Joey Votto
2B - Scooter Gennett
SS - Jose Peraza --------> Ronald Torreyes
3B - Eugenio Suarez
LF - Scott Schebler
CF - Billy Hamilton
RF - Adam Duvall --------> AJ Pollock
P - Luis Castillo
P - A. DeSclafani ------> Collin McHugh
P - Sal Romano
P - Tyler Mahle --------> Hyun Jin Ryu
P - Robert Stephenson
P - Homer Bailey
P - Wandy Peralta ------> Jason Hammel
P - K. Quackenbush -----> Ross Stripling
P - Brandon Finnegan ---> Tommy Kahnle
P - Kyle Crockett
P - Michael Lorenzen
P - Raisel Iglesias
Bench - Devin Mesoraco --> Tony Cruz
Bench - Phillip Ervin ---> Kike Hernandez
Bench - C. Pennington ---> Nick Ahmed
Bench - Jesse Winker
Bench - Alex Blandino ---> Matt Duffy

Peraza was the biggest piece traded as a young, mid-80s SS with solid B potential. But, he helped me get a badly needed upgrade in RF in Pollock (who I want to re-sign). The core of Votto/Suarez/Gennett/Schebler/Hamilton is intact and will remain so for the season. However, I thinned-out my AA level a little bit, but have some solid draftees coming-in so I am thinking I won't regret it too much (we'll see).

The biggest overhaul has obviously been to the bench and pitching staff. Some of the guys who were on the opening day are in the minors, some were traded. But we have a lot of versatility and a much better mix now off the bench. We also added enough starters to allow Sal Romano to slide into a bullpen role (which better suits him as he's a 2-pitch guy with a fringy changeup).

The trade deadline is about 3 weeks out, but I am unlikely to make any further moves (barring dumping a marginal depth guy for prospects). I think the roster is good enough to "hold serve" and will give me a chance to make a run given a weaker September schedule.

[edeadstroke]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Nonono. Playing all those games, losing the world series and replaying so you win takes away the whole reason of doing the 162.

I played 162 and only won 51 games. Onward and upward. Replaying games is a no go!

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Operation Sports mobile app

I know ... I was just saying how hard it would be for me to not do it. For this current franchise I have taken my difficulty setting up one from what I normally play (veteran to all-star) for a more realistic out come, but being use to dominating to barely squeaking out wins has been hard for me. I have taken my losses but there are times I wanted to replay them. Being swept in a World Series would probably send me over the deep end and maybe cost me a controller, hopefully not, but maybe.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

2021/22 OFFSEASON OUTLOOK FOR THE CARDINALS

Cardinals will have an estimated $115MM to spend this offseason

Exclusive Free Agents

SP - Michael Wacha
SP - Max Scherzer
SP - Mike Leake

RP - Sam Freeman
RP - Joe Kelly

1B - Matt Carpenter

2B - Kolten Wong

SS - Marwin Gonzalez

CF - Jacoby Ellsbury

Club Options:

RP - Tyler Lyons ($2.2MM option)

Player Options:

RP - Sam Tuivailala ($700K option)

CF - Kike Hernandez ($5MM option)

RF - Oscar Tavares ($600K option)

Arbitration Eligible

SP - Jack Flaherty
RP - Dean Kiekhefer
RP - Adam Cimber
RP - Miguel Socolovich
C - Carson Kelly
C - John Ryan Murphy
1B - Jon Singleton
2B - Greg Garcia
SS- Paul DeJong
3B - Patrick Wisdom
RF - Tommy Pham
CF - Harrison Bader (Super 2)

Contract Renewable (On 40 man roster)

SP - Alex Reyes
SP - Kyle Funkhouser
SP - Junior Fernandez
C - Andrew Knizer
C - Francisco Pena
1B - Brendan McKay
2B - Eliezer Alvarez
LF - Juan Fabregas
LF - Eddie Casilla

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals re-sign Michael Wacha to a 5 year deal

Well it didn't take long as Michael Wacha and the Cardinals agreed to a 5 year deal worth $71M on the first day of exclusive free agent negotiations.

Wacha was the 2017 Cy Young award winner for the National League, but struggled last year as he had his 6 year streak of winning 10 games or more snapped. Wacha went 9-11 last year with a 3.05 ERA. He was bothered by injuries at multiple times during the season, including the postseason. The Cardinals are hopeful that Wacha can stay injury free as he will once again be the staff ace for the 2022 season.

Other news

Giants re-signed Buster Posey to a one year $26.5M deal

Twins re-signed Adam Eaton to a one year $6.3M deal

Twins re-signed Eduardo Rodriguez to a 4 year $36.8M deal

Braves re-signed Shae Simmons to a 3 year $16.5M deal

Nationals re-signed Joe Ross to a 3 year $13.5M deal

Mets re-signed Steven Matz to a 3 year $24.23M deal

Brewers re-signed Corey Knebel to a 4 year $18M deal

Giants re-signed Brandon Belt to a one year $5M deal

Evan Longoria exercised his player option with the Rays

Joey Votto exercised his player option with the Reds

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals let Carpenter and Wong join tremendous free agent class for 2022

The Cardinals only re-signed Michael Wacha during the exclusive negotiating period. Kolten Wong wants $12M+ per year and the Cardinals aren't sure about going that high. They want to see what the market is for him but will be monitoring his offers closely as they are interested in bringing him back.

Matt Carpenter wants to play everyday, something the Cardinals just can't guarantee these days. With Jon Singleton playing well when acquired and Brenden McKay getting close to being ready, the Cards have better options at first base, as crazy as that sounds.

The rest of their exclusive free agents, were never going to be re-signed early to begin with.

The Cardinals did exercise their club option on Tyler Lyons for $2.2M. Lyons was a pivotal component of the bullpen last year.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

2022 Free Agent Class may be one of the best ever

The 2022 free agent class is not short on talent, not even close. Here is your 2022 free agent class (80+ OVR):

Starting Pitchers:

Stephen Strasburg - 33
Archie Bradley - 29
Lance McCullers Jr - 28
Max Scherzer - 37
Brandon Finnegan - 28
Kyle Hendricks - 32
Aaron Nola - 28
Jose Quintana 33

Relief Pitchers

Sam Freeman - 34
Justin Wilson - 34
Pedro Baez - 34

Closers

Jake McGee - 35
Sean Doolittle - 35
Andrew Miller - 36
Hector Rondon - 34
Mark Melancon - 37

Catchers

Wilson Ramos - 34
Jason Castro - 34
Blake Swihart - 30
Austin Hedges - 29

First Basemen

Freddie Freeman - 32
Travis Shaw - 31
Matt Carpenter - 36
Yonder Alonso - 34
Carlos Santana - 35
Matt Adams - 33 (he's 79 OVR)

Second Basemen

Javier Baez - 29
Kolten Wong - 31
Logan Forsythe - 35
Brett Lawrie - 32
Jason Kipnis - 35
Dustin Pedroia - 38

Third Basemen

Kris Bryant - 30
Joey Gallo - 28
Mike Moustakas - 33
Maikel Franco - 29
Kyle Seager - 34
Evan Longoria - 36

Shortstops

Francisco Lindor - 28
Carlos Correa - 27
Corey Seager - 27
Brandon Crawford - 35
Troy Tulowitzki - 37
Alcides Escobar - 35
Jonathan Villar - 30

Outfielders

Gerardo Parra - 34
Khris Davis - 34
Kyle Schwarber - 29
Oswaldo Arcia - 30
Byron Buxton - 28
Christian Yelich - 30
Rusney Castillo - 34
David Peralta - 34
Miguel Sano - 28
Stephen Piscotty - 31
Hunter Pence - 38


Time to take a step back, re-evaluate our roster and see who we want to go after. I have ideas, but gotta think this through.

[JH927]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I want to slap the virtual Phillies for letting Nola walk.

[edeadstroke]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals let Carpenter and Wong join tremendous free agent class for 2022

The Cardinals only re-signed Michael Wacha during the exclusive negotiating period. Kolten Wong wants $12M+ per year and the Cardinals aren't sure about going that high. They want to see what the market is for him but will be monitoring his offers closely as they are interested in bringing him back.

Matt Carpenter wants to play everyday, something the Cardinals just can't guarantee these days. With Jon Singleton playing well when acquired and Brenden McKay getting close to being ready, the Cards have better options at first base, as crazy as that sounds.

The rest of their exclusive free agents, were never going to be re-signed early to begin with.

The Cardinals did exercise their club option on Tyler Lyons for $2.2M. Lyons was a pivotal component of the bullpen last year.

Better options than Matt Carpenter...that is just crazy talk!

[mlblover15]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Since I have always been a trade addict in baseball games I finally decided to just put it in the hands of the CPU. Heck, I did it with all things other than lineups and pitching rotations.

two trades have already taken place. One was just a trade of minor leaguers. the last one we traded a C pot outfielder to the Dodgers for Chase Utley. Whom we already placed on waivers.

it will be fun to see what this does to my team overall over time. I know a lot of you don't agree with doing this but it might be fun to see how this all turns out. I am just a manager, after all, I have no say in who comes and who goes...

[edeadstroke]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Since I have always been a trade addict in baseball games I finally decided to just put it in the hands of the CPU. Heck, I did it with all things other than lineups and pitching rotations.

two trades have already taken place. One was just a trade of minor leaguers. the last one we traded a C pot outfielder to the Dodgers for Chase Utley. Whom we already placed on waivers.

it will be fun to see what this does to my team overall over time. I know a lot of you don't agree with doing this but it might be fun to see how this all turns out. I am just a manager, after all, I have no say in who comes and who goes...

you can only play with the cards you are dealt.

[mlblover15]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

exactly, I thought to myself that I have most of my main roster signed to 3-5 year contracts, and I have an ever growing bank amount. Right now north of $200 Million. So I thought to myself why not just take the temptation away from myself from going on another trading frenzy, by letting the CPU taking over. Whatever they want to do I may not like but what manager has ever liked the moves the G.M. has made.

Once 19 drops and I have opened all 30 packs i get plus all the other stuff that comes with the Digital Deluxe edition of the game that i open and sell plus my 15,000 in stubs plus my (hopefully) carried over bank amount I should be on my way to becoming a very wealthy team in this game... ready for whatever may come.

[millertime98]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Which of these is most likely...