Re: MLB The Show 20 Franchise Discussion Thread
Can't wait to see what you do man Go Cards!!!
The 2025 season came to an abrupt end for the Cardinals after being swept by the Marlins in the NLDS. Now their attention will turn to the offseason and look to return to the postseason in 2026 and hopefully back to the Fall Classic.
Where did it go wrong for the Cardinals? The first thing many will look at is that the offense was disrupted when Juan Fabregas was lost to a torn achillies tendon. His bat in the 5th spot of the lineup was sorely missed especially in the playoffs, although Dylan Carlson played well in his absence, he doesn't have the pop that could generate 40 homeruns and 100 RBI's, nor the speed and base stealing ability to swipe 25-30 bases a year. So many will look for the Cardinals to make Juan Fabregas a key offseason resigning this winter, but it won't come cheap. Fabregas is looking for about $22M per year and a lengthy contract. The Cardinals certainly can afford that, but they have other key free agents to look at re-signing as well, most notably Harrison Bader who is coming off his best professional year.
Bader finished 2nd on the team in hits and was a consistent .285 hitter most of the year until a late season slump dropped him to .271 to end the year. But Bader is a gold glove caliber center fielder who is a prime candidate to lead off as he had an OBP of nearly .400 and swiped 51 bases this year. If the Cardinals didn't resign Bader, who is looking for roughly $17MM per year, I would be absolutely shocked. They let Magnerius Sierra go a couple of seasons ago because they believed Bader would get to this point. But if the Cardinals re-sign both Bader and Fabregas then what happens with Jo Adell and Dylan Carlson?
Jo Adell is a project that the Cardinals may be finished working on. The kid has all the tools to be an all-star or even MVP, but his lack of consistency at the plate and high strike out totals really leave something to be desired. But he's 26 years old, under contract for 2 more seasons for cheap, and would be really hard to move on from.
Dylan Carlson is also under team control and is definitely a guy who deserves to be in the everyday lineup at one of the 3 outfield positions. His lack of arm strength makes right field not a primary choice, but if he is to stay with the Cardinals that may be where he plays in 2026. Carlson is a primary candidate to be the number 2 hitter on this club behind a Bader and in front of a Brendan McKay. He hit .290 to finish the season with 10 homeruns and 57 RBI's. He isn't a base stealer but being a switch hitter who controls the bat well from both sides of the plate, he's perfect for hit and run situations, something the Cardinals are looking to get back to, playing small ball and manufacturing more runs instead of relying on the big bats to deliver big hits.
The infield is another puzzle the Cardinals must piece together. Brendan McKay is a lock at first base. But the other 3 positions, nothing concrete at any of those spots.
The Cardinals want Kolten Wong back at 2nd, but Kolten Wong wants to get paid, and rightfully so I guess after leading the majors with 119 walks batting in the number 8 spot. His average was .258 and he hit 13 homeruns with 63 RBI's, but Wong is still a solid defender who gets on base and flips the lineup. There really isn't a replacement on the roster, aside from Tommy Edman and Edman isn't ready for an everyday role.
Paul DeJong seemed like a strong fit for shortstop, but lost his job late in the year to Chris Taylor and Samuel Franco, only to regain it in the final week of the season and the postseason. DeJong was asked to hit 2nd in this lineup and that's not a comfortable spot for him. When Carlson moved to the #2 spot and DeJong moved to 5th, his offense got better. Still, his defense is solid and his bat in the lineup is decent, but there are better options.
Samuel Franco is the man the Cardinals are waiting to take that spot but feel he is still one year away from doing so. The Cardinals would like to let him play in Memphis for a full season and really see how he handles himself in that role. He has the ability to be a gold glove shortstop, but his bat hasn't caught up to his defense, although he showed flashes and is a switch hitter. He's best suited to be a bottom of the order hitter that is relied upon for defense instead of offense.
Anthony Rendon was a great filler at 3rd base after Patrick Wisdom shocked the organization and signed with the Orioles in the offseason. But Rendon was just that, a filler. While he produced, the Cardinals are expected to give Nolan Gorman the reigns at 3rd base as keeping him at Memphis isn't an option nor pays any dividends. So Gorman will likely get every opportunity to be the everyday 3rd baseman and don't expect the Cardinals to provide much competition. He's under control for 3 more years, so giving him the reigns early will dictate what they do with him going forward.
Catcher is probably the one spot the Cardinals are sure about, as its expected they will let Andrew Knizner and Devon Snow continue to platoon behind the dish going with the hot hand throughout the season, much like they did in July after the break and it worked out well. Snow isn't ready to be an everyday catcher, but doesn't benefit really from being at Memphis either. So expect the Cardinals to keep the pair together and they seem to thrive in this setting as Knizner had a career year hitting .315 with 5 homeruns and 41 RBI's. Snow hit just .220 but belted 11 homeruns and drove in 56 on the year.
The rotation will get tricky as well as the Cardinals must decide what to do with Carlos Martinez (free agent) as well Michael Wacha who is making $14MM this year and the Cardinals will likely want to remove that salary from their books to re-sign the likes of Fabregas and Bader, as possibly Wong. The Cardinals signed Jack Flaherty to a big multi year contract last year and aren't going to move on after one season where he was consistently, inconsistent, but was arguably the 2nd best pitcher in the rotation. Junior Fernandez will remain in the rotation and expect Dakota Hudson to get a strong look after a solid performance after returning from early season shoulder injury. Martinez could be moved to the bullpen as a long reliever, something the Cardinals currently don't have and Wacha could be moved as the Cardinals seek a left handed starter, something they have coveted for years.
Who knows what will happen with the bullpen. The Cardinals seem to have a plan in Spring and completely have something different in the summer. I expect Zack Burdi, Jordan Hicks, and Corey Littrell to remain. After that, who knows. Tyler Jay, Robby Scott, Adam Cimber, Roberto Osuna, and Greg Holland could all be brought back or moved on from. Cardinals will look to see what both the free agent and the trade market hold in regards to the bullpen before really committing to anyone at this point.
So there are the questions and decisions facing the Cardinals as the offseason begins. What they do, who knows. Everyone has a plan, then someone ends up on the market you didn't expect and suddenly you're making new plans. And then those plans get scrapped for a new plan, and so on and so forth.
Let the negotiating and the re-loading begin.
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Can't wait to see what you do man Go Cards!!!
Cardinals have decisions to make in offseason
The 2025 season came to an abrupt end for the Cardinals after being swept by the Marlins in the NLDS. Now their attention will turn to the offseason and look to return to the postseason in 2026 and hopefully back to the Fall Classic.
Where did it go wrong for the Cardinals? The first thing many will look at is that the offense was disrupted when Juan Fabregas was lost to a torn achillies tendon. His bat in the 5th spot of the lineup was sorely missed especially in the playoffs, although Dylan Carlson played well in his absence, he doesn't have the pop that could generate 40 homeruns and 100 RBI's, nor the speed and base stealing ability to swipe 25-30 bases a year. So many will look for the Cardinals to make Juan Fabregas a key offseason resigning this winter, but it won't come cheap. Fabregas is looking for about $22M per year and a lengthy contract. The Cardinals certainly can afford that, but they have other key free agents to look at re-signing as well, most notably Harrison Bader who is coming off his best professional year.
Bader finished 2nd on the team in hits and was a consistent .285 hitter most of the year until a late season slump dropped him to .271 to end the year. But Bader is a gold glove caliber center fielder who is a prime candidate to lead off as he had an OBP of nearly .400 and swiped 51 bases this year. If the Cardinals didn't resign Bader, who is looking for roughly $17MM per year, I would be absolutely shocked. They let Magnerius Sierra go a couple of seasons ago because they believed Bader would get to this point. But if the Cardinals re-sign both Bader and Fabregas then what happens with Jo Adell and Dylan Carlson?
Jo Adell is a project that the Cardinals may be finished working on. The kid has all the tools to be an all-star or even MVP, but his lack of consistency at the plate and high strike out totals really leave something to be desired. But he's 26 years old, under contract for 2 more seasons for cheap, and would be really hard to move on from.
Dylan Carlson is also under team control and is definitely a guy who deserves to be in the everyday lineup at one of the 3 outfield positions. His lack of arm strength makes right field not a primary choice, but if he is to stay with the Cardinals that may be where he plays in 2026. Carlson is a primary candidate to be the number 2 hitter on this club behind a Bader and in front of a Brendan McKay. He hit .290 to finish the season with 10 homeruns and 57 RBI's. He isn't a base stealer but being a switch hitter who controls the bat well from both sides of the plate, he's perfect for hit and run situations, something the Cardinals are looking to get back to, playing small ball and manufacturing more runs instead of relying on the big bats to deliver big hits.
The infield is another puzzle the Cardinals must piece together. Brendan McKay is a lock at first base. But the other 3 positions, nothing concrete at any of those spots.
The Cardinals want Kolten Wong back at 2nd, but Kolten Wong wants to get paid, and rightfully so I guess after leading the majors with 119 walks batting in the number 8 spot. His average was .258 and he hit 13 homeruns with 63 RBI's, but Wong is still a solid defender who gets on base and flips the lineup. There really isn't a replacement on the roster, aside from Tommy Edman and Edman isn't ready for an everyday role.
Paul DeJong seemed like a strong fit for shortstop, but lost his job late in the year to Chris Taylor and Samuel Franco, only to regain it in the final week of the season and the postseason. DeJong was asked to hit 2nd in this lineup and that's not a comfortable spot for him. When Carlson moved to the #2 spot and DeJong moved to 5th, his offense got better. Still, his defense is solid and his bat in the lineup is decent, but there are better options.
Samuel Franco is the man the Cardinals are waiting to take that spot but feel he is still one year away from doing so. The Cardinals would like to let him play in Memphis for a full season and really see how he handles himself in that role. He has the ability to be a gold glove shortstop, but his bat hasn't caught up to his defense, although he showed flashes and is a switch hitter. He's best suited to be a bottom of the order hitter that is relied upon for defense instead of offense.
Anthony Rendon was a great filler at 3rd base after Patrick Wisdom shocked the organization and signed with the Orioles in the offseason. But Rendon was just that, a filler. While he produced, the Cardinals are expected to give Nolan Gorman the reigns at 3rd base as keeping him at Memphis isn't an option nor pays any dividends. So Gorman will likely get every opportunity to be the everyday 3rd baseman and don't expect the Cardinals to provide much competition. He's under control for 3 more years, so giving him the reigns early will dictate what they do with him going forward.
Catcher is probably the one spot the Cardinals are sure about, as its expected they will let Andrew Knizner and Devon Snow continue to platoon behind the dish going with the hot hand throughout the season, much like they did in July after the break and it worked out well. Snow isn't ready to be an everyday catcher, but doesn't benefit really from being at Memphis either. So expect the Cardinals to keep the pair together and they seem to thrive in this setting as Knizner had a career year hitting .315 with 5 homeruns and 41 RBI's. Snow hit just .220 but belted 11 homeruns and drove in 56 on the year.
The rotation will get tricky as well as the Cardinals must decide what to do with Carlos Martinez (free agent) as well Michael Wacha who is making $14MM this year and the Cardinals will likely want to remove that salary from their books to re-sign the likes of Fabregas and Bader, as possibly Wong. The Cardinals signed Jack Flaherty to a big multi year contract last year and aren't going to move on after one season where he was consistently, inconsistent, but was arguably the 2nd best pitcher in the rotation. Junior Fernandez will remain in the rotation and expect Dakota Hudson to get a strong look after a solid performance after returning from early season shoulder injury. Martinez could be moved to the bullpen as a long reliever, something the Cardinals currently don't have and Wacha could be moved as the Cardinals seek a left handed starter, something they have coveted for years.
Who knows what will happen with the bullpen. The Cardinals seem to have a plan in Spring and completely have something different in the summer. I expect Zack Burdi, Jordan Hicks, and Corey Littrell to remain. After that, who knows. Tyler Jay, Robby Scott, Adam Cimber, Roberto Osuna, and Greg Holland could all be brought back or moved on from. Cardinals will look to see what both the free agent and the trade market hold in regards to the bullpen before really committing to anyone at this point.
So there are the questions and decisions facing the Cardinals as the offseason begins. What they do, who knows. Everyone has a plan, then someone ends up on the market you didn't expect and suddenly you're making new plans. And then those plans get scrapped for a new plan, and so on and so forth.
Let the negotiating and the re-loading begin.
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