MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Adam Wainwright retires

Adam Wainwright has called it career. The 40 year old announced at the end of the season that he will call it a career after 16 seasons in the big leagues.

Wainwright will finish his Cardinals career with 176 wins, 2,319 Innings Pitched, 1,903 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.49.

Wainwright's career didn't end on the best of notes, in not only did the Cardinals miss the playoffs in his final season, but his season ended in early September due to an elbow injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Thanks for the memories Waino!

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals have decisions to make as the offseason begins

The Cardinals are faced with some interesting, and unexpected, decisions as the offseason begins. Adam Wainwright, as expected, retired at the end of the 2021 season. But....Yadier Molina (39), Matt Carpenter(36) and Max Scherzer(37) did not. Not that they were supposed to, but there was significant thought that Molina and Carpenter would retire when the 2021 season started.

But, instead here we are. The Cardinals now must make a decision on 2 career long Cardinals and an acquisition that costs them plenty in talent, and is a hometown boy.

Not to mention the Cardinals have Carlos Martinez (arguably the best pitcher on the staff last year), Shane Greene (mid year FA signing to strengthen the bullpen), Hansel Robles (mid year trade acquisition to strengthen the bullpen) and Greg Garcia (early year signing for veteran leadership) to make a decision about.

Obviously the biggest thing to know is the money each of these exclusive free agents will be seeking, as that will play a big role in the Cardinals decision. But still, the Cards didn't expect probably 2 of the 7 to be here, and possibly 3 of the 7. But they're here, and the Cardinals now must re-consider any potential plans they may have had entering the offseason.

[DarthRambo]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

I've been lazy in trying to update my franchise, but here is the end of season wrap-up:

Cardinals stumble down the stretch to miss the playoffs

The Cardinals (85-77) stumbled in the month of September/October and missed the playoffs by 5 games in the wildcard behind the surging Cubs and 7 games behind the Brewers in the Central. The Cardinals went just 12-18 over the season's final 30 games to watch a 1 game lead in the wildcard turn into misfortune.

Yes, you could point to injuries (Molina and Flaherty missed part of September and Goldschmidt and Wainwright missed nearly all of September suffering injuries on the same day), but the reality is the Cardinals were too inconsistent this year to really be contenders. Twice in the month of September, the Cardinals lost 5 straight games, something a playoff caliber squad shouldn't do in the final month of the season while in the heat of a pennant race.

The Cubs were world beaters in the final month as they won 22 games to not only earn the 2nd wildcard game, but come 2 games away from tying the Brewers for the NL Central crown after entering the month 6 games back.

Below is a look at the final standings across the league:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w-Eku5-fGkM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Dodgers are the best team in baseball winning 116 games and winning the NL West by 14 games, despite the Padres winning 102 games. :wow:

The Yankees are the class of the American League and look extremely solid with the addition of Trevor Story earlier this year. The Yankees really were never threatened in the AL East once we entered the month of May.

The playoffs are about to begin and the Cardinals will start working on fixing their issues so that they are playing baseball in the month of October.

Bummer you missed the playoffs in the last month or two! Curious to see how you handle your off-season moves!

Sent from my SM-G996U using Operation Sports mobile app

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals re-sign Yadier Molina and Hansel Robles to one year deals

The Cardinals have re-signed veteran catcher Yadier Molina to a one year deal worth $4M and RHP Hansel Robles to a one year $2M deal.

Having Yadier back to mentor the young catchers in the organization as well as manage the pitching staff is a huge addition for the 2022 Cardinals. Molina will entering his 18 major league season this year at the age of 39.

Hansel Robles was a steady, consistent arm out of the bullpen last year and the Cards are glad to have him back in the bullpen mix for Spring Training next season. Robles appeared in 29 games last year throwing 33 innings with 24 strikeouts and a respectable 2.45 ERA.

Notable Exclusive Free Agent Signings

Braves re-sign Freddie Freeman to a 5 year $155MM deal

Padres re-sign Tommy Pham to a 1 year $7.30MM deal

Dodgers re-sign Joe Kelly to a 1 year $5.40MM deal

Dodgers re-sign Kenley Jansen to a 2 year $10.64MM deal

[Rocket32]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Yankees Stumble Through April at 14-12

It wasn’t quite the month you would’ve expected after we got off to a 9-3 start, but a huge slide in the 2nd half of April that saw us go 5-9 against the Rays, Braves, Indians, and Orioles, leaves us sitting 14-12. We ended April on a high note with a 6-2 win over Detroit, before opening May with a 4-3 loss to those Tigers where our offense was shut out over the final 3 innings, dropping us to 14-13.

Somehow that is good enough to have us tied for 1st with a surprisingly competitive 14-13 Orioles squad.

What has gone wrong since Mid April?

Well, this team just can’t string hits together. Despite leading all of MLB in HR’s, we have the leagues worst team batting average, least hits, and least stolen bases. If the HR ball isn’t flying out, these Yankees can’t win. Outside of Tyler Wade and recently promoted Greg Allen, you really don’t have to worry about any of these hitters when they do get on base.

Poor Start For Kluber
The pitching has been a bright spot other then Corey Kluber, who’s off to an ugly start with a 5.87 ERA. On an 11M salary, he’s going to have a while to figure it out.

Yankees Acquire Dee Strange-Gordon From Brewers
There’s not a lot you can do this early, but the Yankees have been active in the early going trying to address weaknesses, already adding FA Encanarcion, and that continues here. In return, 23 year old 2B Josh Smith heads to the Brew Crew. Milwaukee didn’t really have a need for Gordon, having him stashed in the minors among several other experienced utility man depth pieces like Hernan Perez, Tim Lopes, Logan Forsythe, and Jace Peterson.

The 32 year old lefty hitting Gordon is no longer the contact hitting base stealing machine he once was in LA and Miami, but he may be the type of player this team desperately needs more of. He’s still going to make plenty of contact, provides okay coverage in 2B, SS, and the OF, and is still a significant SB threat while remaining one of the most aggressive base runners. He also bunts very well.

Next up:
We finish out a 3 game set with Detroit before the hated Astros come to town for 3 games.

Yankees Option 2B Rougned Odor To AAA
Following the acquisition of Dee Gordon, the Yankees will open up a MLB roster spot by optioning Odor. It’s been an ugly year for Odor with a line of 149\273\340, making the choice to swap out the sluggish all or nothing Odor for Gordon at the bottom of the lineup an easy one.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals re-sign Carlos Martinez to 4 year deal

The Cardinals have brought back Carlos Martinez on a 4 year $44MM deal.

The 30 year old Martinez was the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star game a season ago. C-Mart won 15 games (15-9), but likely should've been close to a 20 game winner had he had help, as Martinez pitched 187.2 innings with a 2.88 ERA and a WHIP of 1.11.

Martinez didn't strike out hitters at a clip that the organization had been accustomed to, but he was very much effective and arguably the most consistent pitcher last year as he started 32 games.

Martinez helps secure one of the two top spots in the rotation, next to Jack Flaherty, for next year. The Cardinals are currently trying to avoid arbitration with Jack Flaherty and agree to a deal.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals re-sign Jack Flaherty avoiding arbitration

So far the offseason is going well for the Cardinals who found out that Yadier Molina was returning, then they resigned Carlos Martinez to a 4 year deal, and now they have locked up Jack Flaherty through his final 2 arbitration years.

The Cardinals and the 26 year old agreed to a 2 year $25MM deal that will buyout his final two years of arbitration.

Flaherty went 12-6 last year with a 2.93 ERA, but was bitten by the injury bug a couple of times over the long the season. He was still very impressive pitching 178 innings and striking out 161 over those innings with a WHIP of 1.05.

Flaherty will now ace a staff that we know will consist of Carlos Martinez and Kwang Hyun Kim as its likely top 3 starters.

Noah Syndergaard signs 6 year deal with Rockies

In what is easily the shocker signing of this young offseason, Noah Syndergaard inked a 6 year $188MM deal with the Colorado Rockies.

Syndergaard fresh off winning a World Series with the Mets, was strongly thought to re-sign with the club, but when he opted for free agency, many thought that he was checking his value and seeing what the market, and what markets, would come calling. There was the Mets, the Yankees, the White Sox at a time, the Cubs, and then the Rockies. And Noah ended up in Colorado much to the surprise of the baseball world.

The Rockies fanbase has to be excited after watching their team trade away Nolan Arenado an offseason ago, and Trevor Story during the 2021 season. Now they have a new "face" of the Rockies.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals sign Roberto Osuna and Starling Marte to one year deals

The Cardinals inked a pair of one year deals the past few days.

First the Cardinals signed 27 year old Roberto Osuna to a one year $10M deal. Osuna signed during the season last year with the Tigers and was effective for a team that didn't contend.

Osuna only pitched in 25 innings, but he recorded 27 strikeouts against 8 walks. His ERA was 2.52 with a WHIP of 1.24.

He'll contend with Alex Reyes to earn the closer role in the Spring. Closer or not, Osuna should provide instant stability to a bullpen that was rocky far too often last year.

Then the Cardinals a few days later signed 33 year old outfielder Starling Marte to a one year $8.5M deal. Marte played for the Marlins last year where he hit .271 with 13 homeruns and 73 RBI's. He also swiped 20 bases.

Marte will hopefully add offensive pop to an outfield that struggled to hit. And with the signing of Marte and the departure of Matt Carpenter, Tommy Edman can return to the infield and man 2nd base where he is more at home.

The Cardinals haven't made that momentous splash this offseason, but the few signings that they've done should help fill the voids the 2021 club had.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Astros trade Michael Brantley to the Cubs

The Astros and Cubs have struck a deal that will send 34 year old Michael Brantley to Chicago for RHP Brandon Workman and OF prospect Brennan Davis.

Brantley who is in the final year of his contract hit .286 with 22 homeruns and 92 RBI's last season for the Astros. Brantley definitely fulfills a vacancy in left field the Cubs were trying to fill.

For the Astros, this appears to be moving to the younger talent they have on the team to fill the outfield spots and all Yordan Alvarez to be the everyday DH.

33 year old Brandon Workman will help add much needed depth to the bullpen for the Astros who were looking at having to turn to a few young arms to pitch in the bullpen or go to a free agent market that isn't that deep with reliable arms. Workman pitched 88.1 innings for the Cubs last year with 99 strikeouts, a 3.06 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.54.

Appears to be a solid trade for both teams involved as they both get something out of the deal.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Astros trade Jose Altuve to the Twins

The Astros are active in trades here the past few days. 6 days after trading Michael Brantley to the Cubs, the Astros have struck a deal that will send Jose Altuve to the Twins.

The 31 year old Altuve, who has 3 years left on his contract, was sent to the Twins in exchange for 1B Miguel Sano and top 50 prospect, SS Keoni Cavacco.

This deal gives the Astros the first baseman they needed, and while parting with Altuve is surprising, they did sign Starlin Castro to a deal this offseason. It was thought to be for depth, but apparently it was to move Altuve.

Keoni Cavacco is a Top 50 prospect who at the age of 19 has tremendous upside.

I actually like the deal for both teams

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals re-sign Max Scherzer

The Cardinals and Max Scherzer have agreed to a one year deal worth $25MM.

The 37 year old was acquired from the Nationals at the deadline last year and helped keep the Cardinals in the playoff chase until the wheels feel off in September. Scherzer was solid for the Cardinals though he got little help in the way of runs from the offense.

The Cardinals now have 4 solid starters re-signed for the 2022 season with Flaherty, Scherzer, Martinez , and Kim.

Unless something changes expect those 4 to be locks and Daniel Ponce De Leon, Dakota Hudson, and prospect Levi Prater to battle in the Spring for the 5th rotation spot.

[DarthRambo]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Padres lose rubber match to the Astros after splitting first two. The bats really came alive this series for both teams. Astros win series 2-1.



Game one: Padres (5 8 1) @ Astros (6 8 0) in 10 innings

W- P. Báez (2-2) SP J. Urquidy 5ip 7h 9k 0bb 5er
L- K. Kela (3-2) SP Y. Darvish 5.1ip 4h 4k 2bb 4er
HRs- J. Cronenworth (8,9), A. Bregman (5), A. Díaz (1), Y. Alvarez (4), M. Straw (1)
*1st inning; lead off HR by Cronenworth. Bregman answers bottom half with HR.
*7th inning; M. Straw just off the IL playing his 4th game hits HR to tie the game 5-5.
*10th inning; Tucker with the walk off single to win it.

Game two: Padres (10 19 0) @ Astros (5 12 0)

W- M. Melancon (2-0) SP J. Musgrove 6ip 7h 9k 2bb 4er
L- B. Raley (2-2) SP J. Verlander 5ip 9h 7k 3bb 5er
HRs- E. Hosmer (5), Y. Alvarez (5)
PotG- DJ Jurickson Profar; 3-5 BB, 2B, 3B, 3RBI

Game three: Padres (8 9 0) @ Astros (9 14 0)

W- Z. Greinke (5-4) 7ip 4h 8k 1bb 2er
L- M. Clevinger (6-2) 5ip 9h 2k 0bb 5er
Sv- R. Pressly (10)
HRs- C. Correa (7), A. Nola (7), F. Tatis Jr (6), K. Tucker (7), T. Marcano (1), J. Profar (5)
PotG- SS Carlos Correa; 2-4 2B, HR 2RBI
*2nd; Correa/Nola HRs
*8th; Marcano hits first career HR
*8th; was down 9-3 and we batted around scoring 6 runs, including a huge 3 run HR by Profar to make it 9-8. Unfortunately Pressly shut us down in the 9th as I preceeded to hit three straight pop ups.


~~Injury news~~

~Astros CF Myles Straw out 2-3 months. Has played 4 games this season. Recalled 2B Robel García. SS Aledmys Díaz/RF Chas McCormick to split lineups.

~Rangers LF David Dahl out for the season (35g .236 4hr 17rbi). Recalled 3B Anderson Tejada. 2B Brock Holt/LF Khris Davis to split lineups.

~Red Sox SP Eduardo Rodriguez out 1-2 months. Chris Sale still on IL from three weeks ago. Recalled SP Tanner Houck (LRP role). SP Garrett Richard's in #5 starting rotation.

***Padres SP Chris Paddack comes off the IL. Optioned RP Nabil Crismatt. Weathers will return to LRP role as Paddack will become #5 SP. He will get his return start @ Cubs in game one of that series coming up.



~~still in the middle of a long stretch with no days off. The bullpen is getting fatigued with not so great SP lately. Definitely getting tough to compete every game! And the dang Dodgers keep winning so I'm losing ground. We continue on the road as we finish out our 10 game road trip in Chicago.

Up next: Padres (34-20, 2nd NL West, 2gb) @ Cubs (29-23, 1st NL Central, 1.5gl)

Game one: C. Paddack (0-0 2.79era 13k) vs J. Arrieta (3-3 6.17era 38k)


Game two: D. Lamet (3-5 3.08era 54k) vs A. Mills (3-2 3.77era 38k)


Game three: Y. Darvish (3-2 3.34era 56k) vs T. Williams (3-3 3.81era 54k)

Sent from my SM-G996U using Operation Sports mobile app

[Itsma806]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

2021 Baltimore Orioles First Year Player Draft Update

Overall Record:33-23
Record Since Last Update:15-15

Series Results:

Spoiler

@Oakland 2-0
@Seattle 2-1
Vs Boston 1-3
@NY Mets 1-1
Vs. NY Yankees 1-2
Vs. Tampa Bay 0-3
@Washington 1-2
@Minnesota 3-0
@Chi White Sox 4-0
Vs. Minnesota 0-3

Standings

Spoiler

AL EAST
1.Baltimore Orioles 33-23
2.New York Yankees 32-24
3.Boston Red Sox 30-26
4.Toronto Blue Jays 24-31
5.Tampa Bay Rays 22-25

AL CENTRAL
1.Cleveland Indians 31-25
2.Minnesota Twins 27-29
3.Chicago White Sox 27-29
4.Detroit Tigers 23-33
5.Kansas City Royals 20-33

AL WEST
1.Houston Astros 36-19
2.Oakland Athletics 35-23
3.Los Angeles Angels 25-31
4.Seattle Mariners 23-34
5.Texas Rangers 23-34

NL EAST
1.New York Mets 37-18
2.Atlanta Braves 32-23
3.Philadelphia Phillies 31-26
4.Miami Marilns 27-29
5.Washington Nationals 25-30

NL CENTAL
1.St. Louis Cardinals 29-27
2.Chicago Cubs 28-27
3.Milwaukee Brewers 27-28
4.Cincinatti Reds 25-30
5.Pittsburgh Pirates 18-36

NL WEST
1.Los Angeles Dodgers 39-17
2.San Diego Padres 31-26
3.San Francisco Giants 27-28
4.Colorado Rockies 25-31
5.Arizona Diamonbacks 25-32

Orioles Still Sit Atop AL East

The Baltimore Orioles still lead the AL East despite a tougher stretch of games. The team had a rough stretch of games in the middle of May as they won just two games in nine attempts in between May 14th and May 23rd. The team has continued to struggle offensively as they sit at 28th in the league in team batting average (.240). Freddy Galvis leads the team (.291) with Ryan Mountcastle in second (.287) and Rio Ruiz third (.261).

Trey Mancini is struggling average wise (.229) but is tied for the team lead in RBI (30). The team appeared to turn it around at the end of May, sweeping two straight series (3-0 Vs. Minnesota and 4-0 Vs. the White Sox). However, the start of June began with a sweep for the opposing Twins 3-0.

The team has been fantastic on the road (23-6) but has struggled at home (10-17).

The Orioles have been better than expected on the mound. Leading the charge is the teams fifth starter, Jorge Lopez who leads the AL in ERA (1.59). He was sitting at 1.24 before his last start which was the worst of the season so far. Keegan Akin is leading the team in wins (7) and strikeouts (60). Connor Green has been solid since being called up. In six games he has 47 strikeouts and may keep the spot in rotation when Dean Kreamer returns from injury. Kreamer is still the teams lone long term injury and is still slated to be out for another one to two months.

The team will look to get back on track as they face the first place Cleveland Indians in a three game set to start off the next string of games leading to the All-Star break.

Astros, White Sox complete early season block buster trade

The Astros and White Sox agreed to a trade on May 11th that sent veteran first baseman Jose Abreu to Houston. In return, the White Sox received RP Joe Smith and Catcher, Michael Papierski.

Abreu compliments an already stellar Astro lineup as he has been batting clean up for the team. He currently has a .312 average, 6 home runs and 21 RBI. The move did send fan favorite, Yuli Gurriel to the bench. Abreu's contract runs through the 2022 season.

Joe Smith is in the last year of his contact and is 37 years old. He has moved into a setup roll for the White Sox.

Catcher, Michael Papierski is currently playing in single A ball for the White Sox organization. He is 23 years old. Time will tell if he is able to make his way to the MLB squad.

The Yankees and Rangers also completed a pretty big trade as the Yankees received 2B Nick Solak while the Rangers obtained CF Jasson Dominguez. At a quick glance, its hard to see how this trade benefits the Yankees as Solak is currently sitting in triple A and is behind DJ Lemahieu, Gleyber Torres and Rougned Odor. The Rangers however get Dominguez, a top prospect who at 18 years old, should have a long MLB career.


Draft Results
First Round Picks

Spoiler

1.Pittsburgh Pirates-Thomas Coates 19 YO SP
2.Texas Rangers-Todd Huber 22 YO SP
3.Detroit Tigers-Guillermo Almanzor 19 YO 2B
4.Boston Red Sox-Emmett Campos 22 YO 2P
5.Baltimore Orioles-Delmon Saroyan 19 RF
6.Arizona Diamondbacks-Alex Chavez 18 YO CP
7.Kansas City Royals-Martin Ortego 20 YO RF
8.Los Angeles Angels-Gilberto Ferreira 21 YO SS
9.NY Mets-Eddie Garcia 19 YO SP
10.Washington Nationals-Roderick Enright 21 YO CP
11.Colorado Rockies Pedro Caleto 19 YO SP
12.Seattle Mariners Dennis Kochne 19 YO 3B
13.Philadelphia Phillies-Matt Hagan 21 YO SP
14.Houston Astros- Marcus Mccall 18 YO RF
15.Milwaukee Brewers-Conrad Green 21 YO SS
16.San Francisco Giants-Rick Harding 20 YO SP
17.Miami Marlins-Tim Ball 21 YO CP
18. Cincinnati Reds-Kevin Hooper 22 YO CP
19.St. Louis Cardinals-Rick Skaggs 19 YO CP
20.Toronta Blue Jays-Geraldo Savage 20 YO CP
21.NY Yankees-Ben Montya 22 YO SP
22.Chicago Cubs-Geronimo Salazar 18 YO RP
23.Chicaho White Sox-DerekBoyce 20 YO 1B
24. Cleveland Indians-Oliver Gonzalez 18 YO C
25.Atlanta Braves- Sam Dooley 18 YO RP
26.Minntesota Twins-Prince Maxwell 19 YO RP
27.Oakland Atletics-Robby Davis 20 YO C
28.San Diego Padres Sammy Long 21 YO 2B
29.Tampa Bay Rays-Terrell Kershaer 22 YO 1B
30.Las Angeles Dodgers Ken Rugh 21 YO 2B

Baltimore Orioles 2021 Draft Class
1.Delmon Saroyan 19 YO RF 75 OVR 92 POT
Saroyan is a great defensive outfield and a decent hitter. He will likely excel against left handed pitchers but will need to improve against against righties. He will also bring decent speed to a team that is lacking in that category. He will like start next season in triple A but will also likely make it up to the MLB squad sooner rather than later.

2.Willy Aguilar 18 YO 2B 71 OVR 89 POT
Aguilar could be the future at 2B for the Orioles but needs to improve in almost every aspect. He could come in right away and likely hit for average but his defensive abelites need some work.

3.Felipe Valdez 22 YO SP RHP 74 OVR 80 POT
Valdez could also come in right away but will also likely start in AAA. He will be about location and movement as he doesnt have a overpower fast ball

4.Anthony Hara 20 YO CP LHP 65 OVR 72 POT

5.Robert Light 20 YO 3B 59 OVR 76 POT

6.Johan Manuel 22 YO RP 63 OVR 69 POT

7.Steven Baez 22 YO LF 53 OVR 74 POT

[Caulfield]

? ? Class Single A question ? ?

question about Class Single A and how to fill those all too few 15 spots in regard to looking to the future,
as it pertains to the ratio of starting pitchers to relief pitchers.

in Double A & Triple it's easy to know you want 5 or 6 starters to 7 or 8 relievers since you have a full 26 rosters spots but in Single A is it actually better to carry and develop maybe 4 or 5 starting pitchers to a couple relievers?

also FWIW, part of my draft strategy is I almost absolutely refuse to waste a draft pick on a reliever (or a leftfielder for that matter) except in rare and extremely special circumstances

so I guess what I'm basically asking, do you guys find that you have more starting pitchers at the Class A level or more relievers, or maybe even the same amount, evenly split?

[LowerWolf]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Through the first 49 games of my franchise, Dansby Swanson had four homers and nine RBIs.

In Game 50 against the Mets, he hit three homers and had seven RBIs.

Baseball, man.