MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

2028 season comes to an end for the Cardinals who miss the playoffs for the first time since 2023

The 2028 season has come to an end with the Cardinals missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2023 season. The Cardinals finished the season 87-75, but it wasn't good enough to win the division (Brewers) and certainly wasn't good enough to reach the postseason as a wild card.

The 2028 season was just a grind for the Cardinals. They never really seemed to get into a groove or find the secret formula that was going to propel them not only into the playoffs but into a deep run in October. Injuries played a part, but moreso the pitching was a major letdown, as was a few offseason signings. The bullpen was really inconsistent and veteran hitters such as Arenado were far too sporatic at the plate. All in all, it was a tough season to get through, but now that its over, the Cardinals can focus on the offseason.

Below is a wrap up of the 2028 season that saw the Braves win their second straight World Series title.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vh605qhQ3y0?si=gZfwBt6oZh4rNC4h" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals 2028/2029 offseason outlook

The Cardinals have a lot to address this upcoming offseason/winter. The team failed to reach the postseason for the first time since 2023. Last offseason wasn't as good as the front office had hoped as they made some seemingly desperation signings/moves that turned out to hurt the club as the season progressed, thus forcing the front office to 180 some of those decisions. This offseason will hopefully, and needs to be, better.

Pitching will be the primary focus this winter. The pitching staff as a whole, rotation and bullpen, was not close to being what the organization wanted, nor what it has had in previous years. Jack Flaherty will be the ace no doubt, as he finished 3rd in the NL Cy Young Award race. Matthew Liberatore and Bob Valencia will likely be locks as well for the rotation, but other than that, the Cardinals need to figure things out. Reid Detmers has a player option and even if he opts in, there is no guarantee the Cards will keep him given how gopher ball prone he was in 2028. Dakota Hudson was average, but it may be time to move on. Young arms, Michael McGreevy and Cooper Hjerpe will certainly get looks in the Spring.

The bullpen was even less reliable than the rotation. Jordan Hicks wasn't his typical self and Ryan Helsley continued to battle arm injuries. Brusdar Graterol was acquired mid-season and is under contract so expect him to be in the pen come Spring Training. You can also add AJ Puk and young righty Basil Caldwell to that mix as well. Andre Pallante and Genesis Cabrera both were up and down and may not survive the winter. Zach Thompson was waived in September last year, ending up with the Pirates.

On the field and at the plate, the Cardinals are confident in how their younger players performed in the final weeks of September when the team was still battling for a postseason berth. Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker will all be on the Opening Day roster, although where they are on the field is still likely to be determined by signings this winter. Dylan Carlson and Tommy Edman will also likely be on the roster as well, as both return from injuries. Luis Arraez was a fill in at 2nd base, and while most will want the Cardinals to resign him, its highly unlikely. Nolan Arenado, if he doesn't retire, will most likely be wearing a new uniform in 2029.

Catcher is an interesting position. Ivan Herrera dealt with injuries that kept him out the 2nd half of the season. JT Realmuto was brought in to fill his spot, but Realmuto will not be re-signed. Dalton Rushing is very interesting as he was outstanding as the everyday catcher in the final 2 weeks, hitting .287 and commanding the pitching staff and keep baserunners in check. Herrera and Rushing are expected to battle in the Spring, but don't count out the Cardinals looking at the free agent market to maybe bring in a 3rd catcher to battle, as the depth isn't quite MLB ready.

Outfield is another interesting position for the Cardinals. Dylan Carlson is locked in at right field. But CF and LF are certainly wide open. Harrison Bader is a free agent and I don't know that the front office will bring him back. Joshua Baez was the everyday left fielder after the Cards dealt away Steven Kwan, but he faded in September. The Cardinals have depth in the likes of Victor Scott and Robert Hassell, but they will all but certainly search the free agent market for help.

The 2028 season was a bust, so the Cardinals need to ensure the winter and the offseason aren't so the Cardinals can get back to playing October baseball in 2029.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Genesis Cabrera exercises player option for 2029

LHP Genesis Cabrera has exercised his player option and will return to St.Louis for the 2029 season. The 32 year old will be making $10.9MM this year. Cabrera posted a 3.81 ERA with 9 saves this past year. He will join AJ Puk as likely the two left handers that crack the Opening Day roster.

Solid first piece of good news for the offseason.

Twins re-sign Carlos Correra, Cubs re-sign Anthony Santander

The Twins who made the postseason last year as a wildcard, hope to get back to October next year and compete with the White Sox for the AL Central. And they made a solid first step in re-signing Carlos Correra to a 3 year deal.

The Cubs look to rebound in 2029 and start the winter off by re-signing Anthony Santander. Santander will arguably the most consistent hitter in the Cubs lineup this past year. Santander signed a 4 year deal and will be a piece to build around this winter.

[countryboy]

MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Exclusive Negotiating Period ends with Cardinals not re-signing anyone

The Exclusive Negotiating Period has ended and the Cardinals did not re-sign a single player. They only offered two contracts, Jordan Hicks and Edmundo Sosa. They declined team options on Harrison Bader and Ryan Helsley, and Reid Detmers declined his player option.

Along with those 5 players, Nolan Arenado, Dakota Hudson, Luis Arraez, and Chris Stratton all will hit the open free agent market this winter.

Notable free agents this winter

Here are some notable free agents this winter:

Ronald Acuna Jr
Yordan Alvarez
Corbin Carroll
Yoan Moncada
Sean Murphy
Francisco Alvarez
Spencer Strider
Grayson Rodriguez
George Kirby
Joe Jimenez
Edward Cabrera
Nick Pratto
Jose Miranda
Ty France
Gunnar Henderson
Elly de la Cruz

And there are a host of others, but those are the ones that jumped out. Going to be an interesting offseason.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals sign RHP Joe Jimenez to 2 year deal

The Cardinals have started the offseason with a much needed signing by signing RHP Joe Jimenez to a 2 year $19M deal. Jimenez will compete this Spring for the closer role on the club.

Jimenez spent last season with the Giants going 1-2 with 38 saves and posting a 1.67 ERA.

A great signing for the Cardinals to address issues from last season, but more are needed.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals sign Yordan Alvarez to 4 year deal

The Cardinals land a huge free agent as they just signed OF/DH Yordan Alvarez to a 4 year $74MM deal. Alvarez will more than likely serve as the Cardinals everyday DH, which now brings about the question what do the Cardinals do with Alec Burleson who was the primary DH last year.

The Cardinals struggled hitting the ball out of the ballpark last year, ranking nearly last in that category. They also struggled offensively at times. Well those two issues were both addressed with this signing. Alvarez hit .315 last year with 32 homeruns and 98 RBIs for the Astros, and nothing suggests that he cannot, and will not, put up similar numbers in St.Louis.

The Cardinals have done well this offseason, at least very early by addressing the bullpen with the signing of Joe Jimenez, and now addressing their offensive struggles with the addition of Yordan Alvarez.

[Itsma806]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals sign Yordan Alvarez to 4 year deal

The Cardinals land a huge free agent as they just signed OF/DH Yordan Alvarez to a 4 year $74MM deal. Alvarez will more than likely serve as the Cardinals everyday DH, which now brings about the question what do the Cardinals do with Alec Burleson who was the primary DH last year.

The Cardinals struggled hitting the ball out of the ballpark last year, ranking nearly last in that category. They also struggled offensively at times. Well those two issues were both addressed with this signing. Alvarez hit .315 last year with 32 homeruns and 98 RBIs for the Astros, and nothing suggests that he cannot, and will not, put up similar numbers in St.Louis.

The Cardinals have done well this offseason, at least very early by addressing the bullpen with the signing of Joe Jimenez, and now addressing their offensive struggles with the addition of Yordan Alvarez.

Yordan!! That's awesome. I hope he is good for you.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Yordan!! That's awesome. I hope he is good for you.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

Thanks, me too!

We battled the Astros, Yankees, and Dodgers at one point for him.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals re-sign Jordan Hicks and Ryan Helsley to one year deals

The Cardinals continue to address their bullpen concerns, this time re-signing a pair of righties that didn't have the best of season's last year, but that was hopefully just a down year for both.

The Cardinals re-signed Jordan Hicks to a one year $8.0M contract. Hicks struggled last year posting a near 4 ERA with a WHIP around 1.5. He struggled significantly against left handed batters.

Ryan Helsley agreed to a one year $5M contract. Helsley was good last year, but did not post his normal stats. Helsley also went to the IL 3 different times last year with arm injuries. Spring training is going to be a chance for Helsley to prove he's both healthy and that his arm issues haven't significantly dampened his production.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals acquire RHP Alex Reyes from Astros

The Cardinals have brought back a familiar face as they acquired RHP Alex Reyes via a trade with the Astros.

Reyes who opted for free agency two years ago instead of re-signing with the Cardinals, is now back and will likely be the favorite over Ryan Helsley and Joe Jimenez to be the closer this Spring. Reyes was an all-star last year saving 48 games with a 1.04 ERA and putting up a whopping 11.3 k/9 stat line.

In return the Cardinals sent OF Robert Hassell III, RHP Mike Williams and LHP Brycen Mautz. Its looking more and more like the Astros are going to be in a slight re-build mode for the upcoming season.

The Cardinals have done well addressing their bullpen needs this winter.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals sign Corbin Carroll to 3 year deal

The Cardinals have once again made a big free agent signing, this time landing OF Corbin Carroll on a 3 year /$67MM deal.

Carroll who spent the past 3 years in San Francisco hit .298 last year with 13 homeruns and 57 RBIs. Carroll will be either be in LF or CF for the Cardinals depending on how the rest of the winter goes. The Cardinals dealt away Robert Hassell and didn't resign Harrison Bader, or even attempt to, so he likely won't return.

The Cardinals have young guys like Joshua Baez and Victor Scott who they may give a serious look at this Spring, or they could continue to search the market for another outfielder and have Baez and Scott be bench players.

This winter has been big for the Cardinals thus far who are looking to return to the postseason after missing out this past year.

Notable free agent signings

Red Sox signed RHP Grayson Rodriguez
Orioles signed RHP Spencer Strider
Angels signed 3B Nolan Arenado
Phillies signed OF Ronald Acuna Jr

[MizzouRah]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals sign Corbin Carroll to 3 year deal

The Cardinals have once again made a big free agent signing, this time landing OF Corbin Carroll on a 3 year /$67MM deal.

Carroll who spent the past 3 years in San Francisco hit .298 last year with 13 homeruns and 57 RBIs. Carroll will be either be in LF or CF for the Cardinals depending on how the rest of the winter goes. The Cardinals dealt away Robert Hassell and didn't resign Harrison Bader, or even attempt to, so he likely won't return.

The Cardinals have young guys like Joshua Baez and Victor Scott who they may give a serious look at this Spring, or they could continue to search the market for another outfielder and have Baez and Scott be bench players.

This winter has been big for the Cardinals thus far who are looking to return to the postseason after missing out this past year.

Notable free agent signings

Red Sox signed RHP Grayson Rodriguez
Orioles signed RHP Spencer Strider
Angels signed 3B Nolan Arenado
Phillies signed OF Ronald Acuna Jr

Maybe DeWitt will give you a call!

Good luck this season!!!

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Maybe DeWitt will give you a call!

Good luck this season!!!

Thanks!

I wasn't planning on making these types of moves/signings, or be aggressive in them, but when I looked at my roster and who will be free agents at the end of the year, I thought I'd better look to add stability so as not to have a massive roster turnover on everyday players.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals sign Lars Nootbaar to a one year contract

The Cardinals reunion this winter continues as they've signed OF Lars Nootbaar to a one year $7M contract. Nootbaar will likely compete with Joshua Baez and Victor Scott for the starting left field spot. If Nootbaar wins the job, it will likely mean that Corbin Carroll will move to center field.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 23 Franchise Mode Discussion

Cardinals re-sign Dakota Hudson and Max Fried

The Cardinals have re-signed both RHP Dakota Hudson and LHP Max Fried to one year deals.

Hudson who has spent his entire career with the Cardinals went 9-7 last year with a 4.46 ERA and a WHIP approaching 1.8. Hudson has been serviceable as a back end rotation arm.

Fried was claimed off waivers last year from the Diamondbacks late in the season. Fried was primarily in the bullpen for the D'Backs, but rotation injuries, he started for the Cardinals. He made 7 starts and finished with a 3-1 record with the Redbirds with a very respectable 3.04 ERA.

Both will compete for rotational spots this spring.