MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Have any plans yet for the Trade Deadlines? Think the team can make a run in the last part of the season? You're not too far off from a wildcard spot, but that may just be pushing it. Unless the team goes on a tear in the next week or something.

I just traded away Ozzie Albies to the Tigers for prospects. I don't think we can make a run to the playoffs, or even moreso in the playoffs if we somehow found our way there. Things just aren't clicking this year.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals trade Ozzie Albies to the Tigers

The Cardinals and Tigers have agreed to a deal that will send Ozzie Albies to the Tigers for prospects.

The 27 year old Albies has struggled offensively in his time in St.Louis and rumors and speculation that he could be dealt away have been as much of a staple of his tenure as anything else.

Albies is hitting only .229 this year with 12 homeruns and 49 RBI's. The front office decided that they no longer wanted to commit $18M per season over the next 3 seasons to Albies who just hasn't been the player they hoped to be getting in a trade a couple years ago.

While the Tigers aren't contenders this year, they have a great young core mixed with veteran pieces they can build around and Albies fits that mold very well. The Tigers also have Madison Bumgarner as the ace of their staff although he has dealt with injuries this year. The Tigers will have contracts come off the books next year that will free up a lot of money to both cover Albies contract and make a splash in free agency should they choose to do so.

In return the Cardinals received 24 year old 3B Elehuris Montero who is the 2nd best 3B prospect in baseball and is ranked #17 in the Top 50 list for all of baseball. Montero will be assigned to Springfield, as he was at Double A ball while in the Tigers organization.

The Cardinals also acquired SS/IF Jeter Downs who played a few innings of major league baseball and is a highly regarded prospect. At 25 years old, the Cardinals will assign him to Memphis and continue to let him develop as he could compete for the everyday shortstop duties next year.

The Cardinals also acquired RF prospect Luis Cabrera. Cabrera is a project but at just 18 years old, his ceiling is extremely high. Raw power and a big arm, Cabrera needs to work on his plate vision and decreasing his strikeouts. The Cardinals have assigned him to Single A Palm Beach and will take their time with Cabrera as they have a healthy amount of outfield prospects.

In correlation to the Albies trade, the Cardinals recalled Evan Mendoza from Memphis to fulfill the vacant roster spot. The Cardinals thought about Samuel Franco, and may very well call him up in the coming weeks, but he was just placed on the 10 Day IL due to an ankle sprain.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals take series against Pirates

The Cardinals have taken 2 out of 3 from the Pirates to win the series. The Cardinals lost the first game thanks to bullpen blow up, but won games 2 and 3 to win the series behind strong pitching performances from Martinez and Flaherty.

The Cardinals are now 53-51 on the year and still sit 12 games behind the Brewers for the National League Central and 4 games behind the Padres for the 2nd wildcard.

After an off today, the Cardinals have a big 3 game series with the Brewers where a sweep would give the Cardinals some belief they could get back into the divisional race. They play the Brewers 6 times over the next 14 days.

[LowerWolf]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

I've now won six in a row on default HOF, so I'm staying here.

We're 31-6 in May of 2020. Markakis is hitting close to .400 since I brought him back, and top prospect Melvin Rodriguez is hitting around .230. So I sent Rodriguez back down to AAA and called up Charlie Culberson for some infield depth.

First time playing in almost a month, and I guess I’m a little rusty. The Nats ended my winning streak, 9-1. Although to be fair it was a 2-1 game in the eighth. Some bloop hits and a three-run homer put the game away and crushed Daniel Winkler’s ERA.

Edit: Bounced back with a 10-3 win in the second game.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals acquire Ryan Sherriff from Giants

The Cardinals and Giants agree to a minor league trade that will send OF Vinny Villa to the Giants in exchange for LHP Ryan Sherriff.

If you don't remember Ryan Sherriff, he is a former Cardinal who was signed this past offseason by the Giants.

26 year old Vinny Villa is a switch hitting outfielder who has played some in the majors with the Mets. He has been at Memphis for all of 2024 and was part of a packed outfield that the Cardinals have been deciding who to piece out to alleviate the congestion.

30 year old Ryan Sherriff is a left handed pitcher who was with the Giants Triple A team and who was in the top 10 in saves in the International League. He will return to St.Louis to try and settle a bullpen that has been shaky at best throughout the organization. It's expected he could be recalled to St.Louis in the next few days.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

After series with Brewers...Cardinals officially decide to be sellers at deadline

After losing the weekend series against the Brewers at home, the Cardinals front office has made the decision to become sellers at the deadline.

The Cardinals series loss put them 13 games out of first behind the Brewers and 7 1/2 games out of the wildcard. While mathematically there is a chance they could still reach the playoffs, the reality of the situation is that this team just cannot get anymore than a game or two above .500 this year. Injuries, player struggles, and just poor baseball at times has resulted in this season being one to forget, when at the start it was thought to be one that would be remembered.

The Cardinals already dealt away Ozzie Albies to the Tigers and now they are combing the roster to determine who else they may move, and as the Albies trade showed us, its not limited to vets with expiring contracts. The Cardinals front office has stated they are going to base their decisions of trade of where the organization is going and the production of players thus far.

Some names to make note of that could be moved:

OF - Jo Adell (3 years left at $7M per year)

While it may seem far fetched the Cardinals would let go of 25 year old Adell due to a bad season this year, they are loaded in the outfield and recently re-acquired Stephen Piscotty who has been solid since his return. With Juan Fabregas expected to return to full health for the 2025 season, the thought of having Piscotty come off the bench is something the front office must entertain, if they keep Adell. Remember the Cardinals have Dylan Carlson, Jose Adolis Garcia, and C.J. McElroy who are all MLB ready and really don't fit being optioned to the minors as they are loaded there as well.

C - Carson Kelly (final year)

Carson Kelly is once again having a stellar season both at the plate and behind it. Kelly has been one of the few consistencies on the roster this year, except he has dealt with nagging injuries. The 29 year old is a free agent at seasons end and with his target price around the $9M mark per year, the Cardinals could turn to Knizner whom they have signed thru 2025 at $1M per year and top prosect Devon Snow who is under control for another 4 years. It's expected that Snow will be on the 25 man roster next year, so the Cardinals must decide who they want to mentor him, Knizner or Kelly.

SP - Jack Flaherty (final year)

Again, you are probably thinking no way he gets moved but hear me out. Flaherty is a free agent who, when the Cardinals talked extension, is expecting to be the Ace of the rotation as well as make $18-20M per year. The Cardinals have depth at starting pitching, and have Funkhouser and Wacha locked for the 2025 season. With Carlos Martinez expected to take a reduction in pay to remain with the team, the Cardinals could use those as the big three and then turn to their depth to fulfill their rotation or check for more cost effective arms in the offseason. The Cardinals have within their organization Drew Harrington, Junior Fernandez, Dakota Hudson, and Ryan Helsley who are capable of stepping into the rotation.

SP - Carlos Martinez (final year)

Martinez falls in line with that of Flaherty in that the Cardinals have depth that they could turn to as an option to replace Martinez. If Martinez is in fact dealt, then the fans can feel confident that the front office is going to try and re-sign Flaherty this winter. I truly expect Martinez to return as he is not only a lifelong Cardinal, but has been solid in each of the past 5 seasons, while never raising a fuss about not being the ace of the staff. With him wiling to offer a discount to remain with the organization, I don't see him wearing a different uniform and retiring as a Cardinal.

OF - Stephen Piscotty (final year)

When the Cardinals reunited with Piscotty they were still within the realm of possibility of reaching the playoffs. Now with that possibility all but gone, they could offer Piscotty the opportunity to play for a team that is well within the hunt and have teams interested (Twins, Red Sox, and Dodgers notably). Piscotty may be a man without a starting role or home should the Cardinals keep Adell and other younger outfield depth, which is expected. But he has been solid in his return, was solid while here before, and the fans adore him. He doesn't have the speed that he once did to cover a lot of ground in the outfield but his bat makes him worth the price of keeping him.

Other names

OF - C.J. McElroy
OF - Jose Adolis Garcia
IF - Edmundo Sosa
IF - Evan Mendoza

These next few days are going to be interesting for the organization and fan base as the Cardinals decide just how much they are willing to part with as they aren't looking to rebuild, but rather re-structure according to the front office.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals will trade Carson Kelly

The Cardinals have announced that they will indeed trade catcher Carson Kelly before Saturday's deadline, or at least intend to.

The Cardinals front office sent out a notice to the other 29 organizations that Kelly is available and to submit offers if interested.

The 29 year old Kelly is in the final year of his contract and is expected to make about $9M per year next year in free agency. There are several interested teams according to reports.

The Cardinals are expected to recall Devon Snow from Memphis and have him and Andrew Knizner work in tandem behind the plate for the final 8 weeks of the season.

The Cardinals became sellers after losing the series against the Brewers which all but mathematically eliminated them from winning the division and put them on thin ice to reach via wildcard.

There is discussion that Kelly will not be the last player the Cardinals trade before Saturday.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals trade Carson Kelly to Padres

The Cardinals and Padres have agreed to a trade that will send Carson Kelly to the Padres for pitching prospect Jacob Nix.

The 29 year old Carson Kelly will add value to the Padres lineup and their catching position, as add a solid hitter to their lineup. The Padres lineup has been weak at the catcher position. He also has the ability to handle a young pitching staff that is in the hunt for the playoffs.

The Cardinals will receive 23 year RHP Jacob Nix. Nix is considered on the top prospects in the Padres organization and will join the Cardinals AA squad in Springfield. Nix adds depth to the organization at the starting position, and allows the Cardinals to possibly move some struggling starters to bullpen roles to see if they can't solidify that issue within their own organization.

As expected top prospect Devon Snow was recalled from Memphis and is expected to start tonight's game in Texas.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals drop series to Rangers

The Cardinals avoided being swept by winning Thursday's series finale in Texas, but the Cardinals dropped the series against the Rangers and find themselves even further out of postseason contention.

The Cardinals lost Tuesday and Wednesday as the Rangers' bats just carved up the Cards pitching staff, but salvaged the finale behind a solid performance out of Drew Harrington who went 6 1/3 innings allowing 2 runs on 9 hits and striking out 7 in the process. Jordan Hicks, Corey Littrell, and Roberto Osuna closed the door pitching the final 2 2/3 innings allowing a combined 2 hits and 1 unearned run scored on a throwing error by Paul DeJong.

The Cardinals bats were solid in the series putting up 5 runs on 11 hits on Tuesday, 4 runs on 6 hits on Wednesday, and then 9 runs on 13 hits on Thursday. Unfortunately the Rangers offense was better in the first two games.

Brendan McKay had a series going 10 for 14 with 2 homeruns, 8 RBI's and 3 doubles in the 3 games.

The Cardinals find themselves 13 games behind the Brewers in the Central and 8 games out of the wildcard.

Next up is a trip to Milwaukee to close out the month of July.

[DJ]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals drop series to Rangers

The Cardinals avoided being swept by winning Thursday's series finale in Texas, but the Cardinals dropped the series against the Rangers and find themselves even further out of postseason contention.

The Cardinals lost Tuesday and Wednesday as the Rangers' bats just carved up the Cards pitching staff, but salvaged the finale behind a solid performance out of Drew Harrington who went 6 1/3 innings allowing 2 runs on 9 hits and striking out 7 in the process. Jordan Hicks, Corey Littrell, and Roberto Osuna closed the door pitching the final 2 2/3 innings allowing a combined 2 hits and 1 unearned run scored on a throwing error by Paul DeJong.

The Cardinals bats were solid in the series putting up 5 runs on 11 hits on Tuesday, 4 runs on 6 hits on Wednesday, and then 9 runs on 13 hits on Thursday. Unfortunately the Rangers offense was better in the first two games.

Brendan McKay had a series going 10 for 14 with 2 homeruns, 8 RBI's and 3 doubles in the 3 games.

The Cardinals find themselves 13 games behind the Brewers in the Central and 8 games out of the wildcard.

Next up is a trip to Milwaukee to close out the month of July.

Don't give up hope yet, CB. You might go on a crazy run like the Indians a couple of years ago (or even further back like the Rockies in 2007) and get back into the race.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Don't give up hope yet, CB. You might go on a crazy run like the Indians a couple of years ago (or even further back like the Rockies in 2007) and get back into the race.

I hope so, but we just can't seem to get more than 2 games over .500 right now.

We keep finding ways to lose games.

[Shamhat1915]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

I just traded away Ozzie Albies to the Tigers for prospects. I don't think we can make a run to the playoffs, or even moreso in the playoffs if we somehow found our way there. Things just aren't clicking this year.

That was my thinking looking at what was happening this year for you. While theoretically you could still make a run, it would require mortgaging the future to do so. Best to just reload and look towards the next year. See who could be the core pieces next year, and get some good blocks while you can.

I like the trades you made so far. You need to get some consistency on the team, which Albies wasn't providing. The loss of Kelly could be big, but hopefully the young catchers will give you what you need. Good luck in the remainder of the season.

[Councilmann_Jamm]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

I had won 6 games in a row and went into a 7 game stretch between Angels and Red Sox...two best teams in the league

Went 1-3 vs Angels. The second game went 17 innings so my team was dead tired for next two games.

Just finished game 1 vs Red Sox. Whole team is still dead from Angels series and we go into 18 innings. And not a break until 5 days.

Terrible stretch of games!

[ML]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals will trade Ozzie Albies before the deadline

The Cardinals front office is currently mulling offers for SS Ozzie Albies, as they intend to trade him before the July 31st deadline in 10 days.

The Cardinals were listening to offers several weeks ago, but that was apparently just to get a gauge on the market and what type of return to expect. With that information in hand, the Cardinals sent out a notice to the other 29 clubs that they intend to trade 26 year old and are going over the offers received to determine the best return package.

The most interested team is reportedly the Texas Rangers, but the Rangers want the Cardinals to take Andrelton Simmons in the deal, but the Cardinals do not want to take on his contact, even though its expiring at the end of the season. Nor do they want to risk waiving him, and being stuck with his contract should he go unclaimed.

The Cardinals are not open to only trading Albies to contenders and its rumored the Cardinals at this time prefer not to trade him to a National League team, although a good enough offer could sway that mindset.

Albies came to the Cardinals in a trade with the Twins and it was expected Albies would be the future at shortstop. But a public verbal spat, and poor offensive numbers since arriving have moved the Cardinals front office to trade the 26 year old in lieu of continuing to pay his $18M per year contract over the next 3 years.

The Cardinals do have 23 year old Samuel Franco at Memphis that could replace Albies, or they could choose to re-sign Paul DeJong this offseason after reuniting with him about a month ago.

While we wait to know who will be the everyday shortstop in 2025, we know for sure it won't be Ozzie Albies.

As a Yankees fan, it’s in my blood that you are a competitor until the clock strikes midnight.

Sidenote: how do you go about your trades? The trade thread cannot be that useful as you are way ahead in your “fictional” franchise. Do you only look for guys on the tradeblock? Tradefinder? Self imposed regulations? Very curious as it can get tricky with draft prospects who are not in the IRL Show.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 19 Franchise Discussion Thread

As a Yankees fan, it’s in my blood that you are a competitor until the clock strikes midnight.

Sidenote: how do you go about your trades? The trade thread cannot be that useful as you are way ahead in your “fictional” franchise. Do you only look for guys on the tradeblock? Tradefinder? Self imposed regulations? Very curious as it can get tricky with draft prospects who are not in the IRL Show.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

No self imposed regulations or anything of the sort. If the CPU/AI will make the trade and I feel it is beneficial to my team, then I make the deal.

I use the trade finder to get an idea of what the market is for a certain player, but I don't limited myself to what a team lists on there. I honestly don't pay much attention to the trade block.