MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

[TheWarmWind]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

After an unfortunate incident and mental error erased my previous offseason progress, I am re-starting tonight as I have calmed down and accepted that I cannot make things happen exactly the same as they did previously. So I've cleared that out of my mind, and will be starting my offseason over without any progress at all.

It was all a bad dream, a nightmare. It never actually happened.

[TheWarmWind]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

You guys ever have a player who is dominating the league and clearly going to be a part of the core of your lineup, only to fall of the wagon the instant you sign them to a big contract?

That's what's happening to my "future core" 1B Julian Montano. He dominated the league last year and was my personal pick for playoff MVP. Wasn't even his first successful year. I signed him to a big long term extension, one of those "pay a little more now to save cap space later" extensions.

He struggled mightily this year. True, a portion of it was opposing pitchers were being extra cautious with him. He was near the top of the team in both walks a BB/K ratio. However when he was getting pitches, he was far too often getting weak popups or pounding them into the ground.

I finally had enough and, using up his last option, sent him down to AAA to get some easier pitching and hopefully get his head right. Except in three games down there, he's doing even worse.

Meanwhile, 1B has become a platoon between Joel Julio and Steve Roman. Roman is a switch hitting utility player whose more of a leadoff/contact style player. He started 2022 (I think that's the year I'm in) in the minors, and it's been a slow start in the majors this year when he did get their, but he's starting to heat up now.

Joel Julio had an awful spring and had to be sent down. However he made his debut in early/mid 2021 and was one of, if not the most exciting new bat in the majors. After hitting .411 in AAA, I thought he definitely deserved another shot, and he's been on fire with the bat. He mans both corner infield positions, and performs much better there then his fielding attributes would indicate. Plus I'm always a sucker for a left-handed bat.

So Montano's struggles are not a concern for me in the short term. It's his future and that massive contract that I laid out for him that concerns me. It's not the worst contract in the world (16.4 million a year for the next 6 years starting next year), but this is also a guy I was planning on building around. My farm system is healthy enough that I can probably deal with it, but... I don't want to give up on that (or any) big left-handed bat.

[reyes the roof]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

I’m on the verge of an epic playoff choke job. I won 120 games in the regular season and now I’m down 2-1 to the Cubs in the division series and my hopes of forcing a game five are in the hands of Steven Matz. My timing is so screwed up right now while I’m hitting that I’m debating taking a day off. I’m generally a pull hitter but after facing Kyle Hendricks I can’t turn on anything over 90 mph. All my hits are coming from getting lucky and hitting the ball I tried to pull to the opposite field and one home run where I guessed fastball and guessed right

[DJ]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

I’m on the verge of an epic playoff choke job. I won 120 games in the regular season and now I’m down 2-1 to the Cubs in the division series and my hopes of forcing a game five are in the hands of Steven Matz. My timing is so screwed up right now while I’m hitting that I’m debating taking a day off. I’m generally a pull hitter but after facing Kyle Hendricks I can’t turn on anything over 90 mph. All my hits are coming from getting lucky and hitting the ball I tried to pull to the opposite field and one home run where I guessed fastball and guessed right

The postseason is a different beast, that's for sure. I've fallen in the NLDS two out of the last three seasons, and each time I (as the Mets) entered with the best record in baseball.

Probably good to take a day off or maybe visit the batting cages before your next game.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

You guys ever have a player who is dominating the league and clearly going to be a part of the core of your lineup, only to fall of the wagon the instant you sign them to a big contract?

That's what's happening to my "future core" 1B Julian Montano. He dominated the league last year and was my personal pick for playoff MVP. Wasn't even his first successful year. I signed him to a big long term extension, one of those "pay a little more now to save cap space later" extensions.

He struggled mightily this year. True, a portion of it was opposing pitchers were being extra cautious with him. He was near the top of the team in both walks a BB/K ratio. However when he was getting pitches, he was far too often getting weak popups or pounding them into the ground.

I finally had enough and, using up his last option, sent him down to AAA to get some easier pitching and hopefully get his head right. Except in three games down there, he's doing even worse.

Meanwhile, 1B has become a platoon between Joel Julio and Steve Roman. Roman is a switch hitting utility player whose more of a leadoff/contact style player. He started 2022 (I think that's the year I'm in) in the minors, and it's been a slow start in the majors this year when he did get their, but he's starting to heat up now.

Joel Julio had an awful spring and had to be sent down. However he made his debut in early/mid 2021 and was one of, if not the most exciting new bat in the majors. After hitting .411 in AAA, I thought he definitely deserved another shot, and he's been on fire with the bat. He mans both corner infield positions, and performs much better there then his fielding attributes would indicate. Plus I'm always a sucker for a left-handed bat.

So Montano's struggles are not a concern for me in the short term. It's his future and that massive contract that I laid out for him that concerns me. It's not the worst contract in the world (16.4 million a year for the next 6 years starting next year), but this is also a guy I was planning on building around. My farm system is healthy enough that I can probably deal with it, but... I don't want to give up on that (or any) big left-handed bat.

Yes...most notably Jack Flaherty

When I started my carryover, Flaherty was still under team control. He dominated the league finishing in the Top 3 in strikeouts in his final two arbitration seasons. So I signed him to a big time contact (5 years like $115M) and since then he's struggled with giving up the gopher ball, having a high WHIP and staying healthy.

I keep saying I'm going to trade him to another club while he still has a decent market, but I keep thinking that he was so dominant and he hasn't been horrendous, just not living up to the contract. I'd hate to see him rebound elsewhere when he's shown flashes of doing so here.

[franch1se]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

Padres just continue to roll and are currently on a 12 game winning streak.

NL West
SD: 57-13 --
LA: 49-19 7.0 GB
AZ: 30-38 26.0 GB
SF: 29-39 27.0 GB
COL: 22-46 34.0 GB

As expected, my pitching has been dominate with the surprise being Chris Paddack!

Snell 6-1 3.47 ERA
Darvish 10-1, 2.16 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
Clevinger 8-1, 3.90 ERA
Lamet 8-2, 2.75 ERA
Paddack 11-0, 2.80 ERA

Pomeranz leads the league in saves with 23
Dan Altavilla has been a revelation with a 0.82 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 22 IP with 27 K. Austin Adams has also been dominate posting a 0.52 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 17.1 IP with 24K. Adams is 1-0 out of the pen.

Trent Grisham is out 2 months and has 1-2 weeks left in injury time.

Fernando Tatis Jr is going for the triple crown leading the league with a .372 AVG, league leading 28 HRS and has 58 RBIs which puts him in 3rd place in that category.

After a slow start, Manny Machado has been scorching hot of late as he's hitting .328 with 19 HR and 61 RBI.

Hosmer .336, 19 HR, 54 RBI
Myers .314, 19 HR, 47 RBI

Rookie INF Ha Seong Kim has been struggling all season hitting .236 with 6 HR and 23 RBI.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals re-sign Jordan Hicks to 4 year deal

The Cardinals have agreed to a 4 year $40MM deal with Jordan Hicks.

Hicks who was the team's primary closer last year with the injury to Roberto Osuna saved 33 games in 36 opportunities finishing with 63 strikeouts in 53 innings of work.

Its expected that Hicks will head into Spring Training as the favorite to be the closer for the team, although I'm sure Osuna will get a chance to reclaim his position. Either way, expect one to be the 8th inning arm while the other the closer.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals re-sign Zack Burdi to 4 year deal

The Cardinals handed out another 4 year deal, this time to 33 year old Zack Burdi.

Burdi has his best year as a Cardinal last year pitching 85 innings to the tune of a 2.86 ERA and a WHIP just over 1. He struck out 95 hitters over those 85 innings of work while allowing a career low, 6 homeruns.

Burdi is expected to be the 7th inning guy when bullpen is rested and the 8th inning guy when rest is needed.

The Cardinals wanted to focus on pitching this offseason and while its only the exclusive negotiation period they are doing just that. With Hicks and Burdi re-signed, the Cardinals now have 4 strong arms at the back end of the bullpen in Osuna, Hicks, Burdi, and Raisel Iglesias.

Cardinals re-sign Michael Wacha to minor league deal

The Cardinals have re-signed veteran RHP Michael Wacha to a one year deal worth $750K.

The 36 year old is coming off a season in which he struggled as a starter but was effective out of the bullpen which is where its expected the right hander will be. Wacha appeared in 23 games last year, 15 of those as a starter due to injuries, but found himself in the bullpen once Funkhouser and Gomber got healthy. Wacha will likely be the long reliever/spot starter for the team and provide a veteran and dependable arm in the bullpen.

With Wacha taking this role and the other arms already under contract, the Cardinals will likely now focus on left handed arms for their bullpen as they have 5 right handers already secured.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals acquire Andrew Knizner from Reds

The Cardinals and Reds have struck a deal that will send catcher Andrew Knizner back to St.Louis for prospects.

The prospects going to the Reds are:

SS - Wander Javier (Top 100 prospect)
CF - Jamall Sang (Top 50/#35 prospect)
RHP - Heath Gilchrist (3rd Round selection in 2027 draft)

Andrew Knizner has enjoyed a run over the past two seasons as he was on the Cardinals 2026 World Series Championship club and then last year's 2027 World Series Champion Reds roster. And now he's back in St.Louis.

It was an odd journey for Knizner as well as the Cardinals failed, in error, to offer him arbitration after the 2026 season thus allowing him to be a free agent and eventually scooped up by the Reds. The Reds paired hi with Turner Stuart and the pair posed as a dynamic backstop duo that would lead the Reds to the World Series championship over the Red Sox.

The Cardinals front office was distraught over the happening, but now a year later, they are trading top prospects to re-acquire Knizner who helped navigate a pitching staff and produce at the plate to help the Cardinals win the 2026 World Series Championship.

The acquisition doesn't come without controversy though, as now the Cardinals must decide if they are going to platoon Knizner and top prospect Devon Snow as they did previously or if they actually trade away Devon Snow. Snow was given the chance to be the mainstay behind the dish, but he failed at the plate and to stay healthy, only appearing in 76 games last season. Snow's offense is feast or famine as he has great pop in his bat, but is undisciplined at the plate that leads to high strikeout percentages.

It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals move forward, but the fanbase and pitching staff should be excited to have Knizner back.

[TheWarmWind]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

Man the Athletics are turning into a frightening team in my carry over.

They spent years constructing teams off of leftovers, constantly ending up last and biding their time with their draft picks. Now suddenly they're an AL powerhouse, easily ranking second after my Blue Jays.

They have a star-studded and deep rotation full of guys who can get wins, and most with some upside. Their bullpen ranges from OK to excellent, and their lineup, while lacking true starpower, has no easy outs. They accomplished all of this with less then 40 million. They still have a healthy farm system, and are only a piece or two away from being a true contender.

Louis Sardinas is likely hitting free agency this offseason, as I doubt I can resign him. He's the best SS in baseball, without question, and would be a huge upgrade both to their defense and the top of their order. They add him and a quality outfielder (either through trade, free agency, or development), they instantly become one of the power teams in the league.

I am not looking forward to potentially facing that team next year.

[franch1se]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

big blow for my Pads. INF Jake Cronenworth (.328, 13 HR) will be out 1-2 months with a finger injury. The team will look to the struggling Ha-Seong Kim (.228, 8 HR) and the newly re-signed Jurickson Profar to fill the void.

[mryan2]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

Starting today I have used BHRs most updated roster and simmed the first season. While this forced top players to “miss” a full season, I just wasn’t sure what else to do.

First thing I did was re-sign JT Realmuto at 5 years and $112 million with a player option and front loaded contract.

Next I brought back Didi Gregorius at 3 years and 15.3 million.

Lastly, heading into spring training I traded Scott Kingery, Adonis Medina and Roman Quinn to the Astros for Lance McCullers. Giving me a starting rotation of ......
1-Nola
2-Wheeler
3-McCullers
4-Eflin
5-Howard

With an opening day roster and bullpen consisting of .....
1-LF-McCutheon
2-1B-Hoskins
3-RF-Harper
4-C-Realmuto
5-SS-Gregorious
6-3B-Bohm
7-2B-Segura
8-DH-Greg Bird(did not have a fantastic job winning spring but did enough to be the DH vs. lefties while Austin Listi won the job as the DH vs. righties.
9-CF-Hasley

Bench
C-Knapp
OF-Josh Stephen who had an excellent “I dare you to send me down” spring
INF-CJ Chatham

Bullpen
LRP-R-Brogdon
LRP-L-Cristopher Sanchez. While not on radar early, he dominated the spring throwing 12.2 innings with 13ks 0.00 era and a 0.95 whip
MRP-R-Ian Hamilton
MRP-L-Jo Jo Romero
MRP-R-Michael Ynoa
SU-R-Neris
SU-L-Alvarado
CP-Bradley

While excitement grows heading into opening day and I feel like a contender, I know deep down I will be lucky to be above .500 and competing for a wild card with a VERY competitive NL East.

[mryan2]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

Starting today I have used BHRs most updated roster and simmed the first season. While this forced top players to “miss” a full season, I just wasn’t sure what else to do.

First thing I did was re-sign JT Realmuto at 5 years and $112 million with a player option and front loaded contract.

Next I brought back Didi Gregorius at 3 years and 15.3 million.

Lastly, heading into spring training I traded Scott Kingery, Adonis Medina and Roman Quinn to the Astros for Lance McCullers. Giving me a starting rotation of ......
1-Nola
2-Wheeler
3-McCullers
4-Eflin
5-Howard

With an opening day roster and bullpen consisting of .....
1-LF-McCutheon
2-1B-Hoskins
3-RF-Harper
4-C-Realmuto
5-SS-Gregorious
6-3B-Bohm
7-2B-Segura
8-DH-Greg Bird(did not have a fantastic job winning spring but did enough to be the DH vs. lefties while Austin Listi won the job as the DH vs. righties.
9-CF-Hasley

Bench
C-Knapp
OF-Josh Stephen who had an excellent “I dare you to send me down” spring
INF-CJ Chatham

Bullpen
LRP-R-Brogdon
LRP-L-Cristopher Sanchez. While not on radar early, he dominated the spring throwing 12.2 innings with 13ks 0.00 era and a 0.95 whip
MRP-R-Ian Hamilton
MRP-L-Jo Jo Romero
MRP-R-Michael Ynoa
SU-R-Neris
SU-L-Alvarado
CP-Bradley

While excitement grows heading into opening day and I feel like a contender, I know deep down I will be lucky to be above .500 and competing for a wild card with a VERY competitive NL East.

Using the Mike Lowe sliders the Phillies jumped all over Johnny Cueto in the first inning of opening day in San Francisco. Hoskins started the party with a solo shot followed up with walks by Harper and JT and a 3 run shot by Didi. The 1st saw the Phillies score 4 runs and see 37 pitches.

The Phillies went on to win 11-0 get 2 homeruns from Adam Haseley and 6 shut out innings from Aaron Nola followed by 3 shut out innings from the pen.

Heading into an always exciting Home Opener, the Phillies will host the Braves after splitting 4 with the Giants and taking two of three from a surprisingly struggling defending champion Dodgers team.

The Home Opener saw the Braves jump on McCullers with a second inning solo shot from Kyle Garlick. Max Fried was in a rhythm with just one hit allowed through 4. But in the fifth the Phillies finally strike. After back to back singles by JT and Bohm, the Phillies went K and pop out until a struggling Austin Listi came to the plate and belted a three run home run after starting his career 0 for 14.

McCullers finished his day at 7 strong with a 3-1 lead. Brogdon and Bradley combined to shut down the last two innings giving the Phillies a 4-1 home opening win.

[reyes the roof]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

Our bats finally woke up in game 4 vs the Cubs and we got a 10-1 win to force game 5. deGrom on the mound and we head to the bottom of the 6th tied 2-2 when we put up 2 runs and eventually win 6-2. On to the NLCS and the 113 win Dodgers. We won game one 3-1 and they took game two 3-2 but I made it past Buehler and Kershaw with deGrom going for game three so I’m feeling pretty good. I lead off the game getting thrown out trying to stretch a double in to a triple. We end up sending eight men to the plate and Nimmo had a grand slam overturned so we were only able to put up two runs as the Dodgers won 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead with no more deGrom until game 7. Syndergaard has been lights out in the post season but once again my season relies on Matz and Rick Porcello

[mryan2]

Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread

The Phillies finish up April sitting at a surprising 20-14 and leading the division by one game over the Braves with the Marlins(14-17), Nationals(14-18) and the struggling Mets(13-19) following.

The Phillies were setup offensively by a shocking 36 games from Adam Hasley. The former first round pick is getting his first true everyday shot and he is taking advantage by hitting .304-6-14-.357-.529-.887.

Bryce Harper has struggled some hitting just .210 but he is getting on base at a .327 clip and does have 9 homeruns and 22 RBI.

JT Realmuto is proving his worth by throwing runners out left and right and hitting .298-3-16-.350-.465-.815.

On the bump the Phillies are getting consistently good performances from its starting staff with Zach Wheeler putting up early CY Young numbers. Wheeler has gone 4-1 with a 1.53era and a 0.89whip. Striking out just 32 batters Wheeler has now shown in his 1 plus seasons with the Phillies that he does not have to be a strike out pitcher to be successful as all 7 of his starts have been “quality starts”.

The bullpen for the Phillies has looked tremendous when graded against last years historically bad staff. Spring Training phenom Cristopher Sanchez shower that he just wasn’t ready and was demoted to AAA after getting hit hard and pitching wild in 5 opportunities.

The Phillies will look to continue this success into May as they try to reach the Postseason for the first time since 2011.