MLB The Show 25 Franchise Discussion

[countryboy]

2028 Postseason Bracket

AMERICAN LEAGUE WILDCARD SERIES:

(5) Twins @ (4) Orioles
(6) Red Sox @ (3) Astros


AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISIONAL SERIES:

MIN/BAL @ (1) Yankees
BOS/HOU @ (2) Guardians


NATIONAL LEAGUE WILDCARD SERIES:

(5) Reds @ (4) Giants
(6) Padres @ (3) Braves


NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISIONAL SERIES:

CIN/SF@ (1) Dodgers
SD/ATL @ (2) Cardinals

[countryboy]

Cardinals will face the Braves in the NLDS

The Cardinals will be taking on the Braves in the National League Divisional Series. The Braves swept the Padres in the Wildcard Series. The Cardinals won the season series against the Braves 4-2. Jack Flaherty will get the ball in Game 1 with Matthew Liberatore scheduled for Game 2 and Sandy Alcantara for Game 3.

In the other NLDS it will be the Reds facing the defending World Series Champion Dodgers. The Reds swept the Giants in their Wildcard Series.

Over in the American League it will be the Twins taking on the Yankees after the Twins beat the Orioles. The Astros will get the Guardians after disposing of the Red Sox.

[countryboy]

Cardinals sweep the Braves, will face the Reds in the NLCS

The Cardinals swept the Braves in the NLDS and will now face their rival the Reds in the National League Championship Series. The Reds beat the defending World Series Champion Dodgers in 4 games.

The Cardinals got things started with a come from behind win in Game 1 as they trailed 1-0 going into the 7th when Victor Scott hit a 3 run homerun that put the Cards up 3-1 after a Jackson Holliday walk and Victor Caratini single. The Cards added one more in the inning when Nolan Arenado drove home Masyn Winn. Luke Weaver pitched a perfect 8th and Ryan Helsley pitched a perfect 9th to secure the win.

Game 2 saw the Cards jump out early when Nolan Gorman drove home Nolan Arenado in the 2nd for an early 1-0 lead. Victor Caratini would double home Gorman later in the inning and it was 2-0 Cards. Scored stayed 2-0 until the 6th when Alec Burleson launched a 3 run homerun to put the Cards up 5-0 and the Cards would go on to win 5-1. Matthew Liberatore was solid going 7.2 innings before giving up the run. Mason Miller closed things out.

Game 3 was a pitching duel between Spencer Strider and Sandy Alcantara. Both went 7 innings recording double digit strikeouts and yielding just 1 hit each. But in the top of the 8th, Victor Scott would strike again, this time a RBI triple that scored Caratini who walked with 2 outs. Luke Weaver and Ryan Helsley would again for 6 up 6 down to preserve the 1-0 win and secure the series win and advancement to the NLCS.


In the American League the Yankees swept the Twins and the Astros beat the Guardians in 5 games. So the Astros and Yankees will meet in the ALCS with the Yankees trying to return to the World Series for the 2nd straight season.

[countryboy]

Reds bash their way past the Cardinals to win the NLCS

It took the Reds only 5 games to dispose of the Cardinals in the NLCS and advance to the World Series. The Reds offense proved to be too much for the Cardinals to overcome. Game 4 was the only game that a Cardinals starting pitcher would get thru the 4th inning (Sandy Alcantara). Granted Game 5 was started by Andre Pallante due to Quinn Matthews getting injured pre-game.

The Reds hit 12 homeruns in the 5 games and were held to under 10 hits just once (Game 2 win for Cards). Other than that, they knocked around the Cardinals pitching staff. And if it wasn't for a 7 run 6th inning in Game 2 for the Cards, this series would've been a sweep.

Jarren Duran, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman all had great series at the dish. Jackson Holliday, Victor Caratini and Matt Vierling barely showed up, although in Holliday's defense, he hit the ball hard, but couldn't find grass. He only struck out once in the entire NLCS.

So demoralizing to have the season the Cardinals had for it to not only end in the NLCS with home field advantage, but to end in 5 games with only one being competitive.

The Cardinals will now turn to the offseason and look to reload for another run in 2029.

[countryboy]

Yankees beat Reds in 7 Game World Series - 2028 Season Wrap Up

The Yankees finally got number 28. The Yankees defeated the Reds in an epic 7 game World Series to win their 28th World Series Championship. The Yankees fell short in 2027 losing to the Dodgers, but were able to beat the Astros in the ALCS to advance to the Fall Classic this year and finish off what they couldn't last year.

Below is the 2028 season wrap up.

[jamm113]

"The Tampa Bay Rundown" – August 18th Edition
(Opening theme music plays — lively, upbeat horns and guitars)

Host 1 (Ray Torres):
"Good morning, Tampa Bay! You are tuned in to The Tampa Bay Rundown — the voice of Rays Nation. Folks, if you weren’t at the Trop this weekend, you missed something special. A sold-out crowd Friday night, 25,469 fans making the dome shake, and your Tampa Bay Rays delivered a three-game SWEEP of the Seattle Mariners, vaulting themselves to 66-59 and strengthening their grip on the third Wild Card spot."

Host 2 (Maria Delgado):
"And Ray, it wasn’t just three wins — it was three statement wins. Tovar’s walk-off bomb in Game 1, clutch hitting up and down the lineup in Game 2, and a homer parade on Sunday afternoon that had the fans dancing in their seats. You can feel it — this team believes they’re a playoff club."

---

📈 Segment 1: Series Recap


Ray Torres:
"Let’s set the scene. Friday night — Taj Bradley battling command issues early, Kyle Tucker already with two homers off him by the 3rd inning. It felt like it might be one of those nights. But then, with two outs in the 5th, Ernie Clement — yes, Ernie Clement — unloads a two-run shot to tie the game. From there the bullpen slams the door, and in the bottom of the ninth, Ezequiel Tovar steps up with two on and hits an absolute moonshot to left. That’s homer number 20 for him, and what a moment for the new face of this infield."

Maria Delgado:
"Saturday, Javier Assad was nails in his second start, going six innings and holding the M’s to three runs. The bullpen locked it down — and how about Jonathan Aranda? He stays hot with a homer, Stowers goes yard again, and Clement drives in two more. Rays win 5-3."

Ray Torres:
"And Sunday was a party — Spencer Arrighetti pitched like a seasoned vet, seven strong innings, and then the offense exploded. Chandler Simpson, Richie Palacios, Stowers, and Realmuto all go deep. Rays sweep with a 7-2 win."

---

🎙️ Segment 2: Attendance Surge


Maria Delgado:
"Ray, this was the first sellout we’ve seen in months, and fans were LOUD. You could feel a playoff atmosphere building. Tampa Bay is showing up, and the players are feeding off it."

Ray Torres:
"Absolutely. This city loves a winner — and right now, the Rays are playing like one."

---

🗣️ Fan Calls


📞 Fan Call – ‘Jake from Dunedin’
"Look, I’ll admit I was skeptical after the July trades, losing Carson Williams and Christopher Morel, but wow — Stowers is raking, Tovar’s glove has been unreal, and this team just looks sharper. We might really do this!"

Maria Delgado:
"Jake, that’s the exact energy we’re feeling too. The front office clearly went for it — not a full 'win-now at all costs,' but a measured retool — and it’s working."

📞 Fan Call – ‘Shelby from Clearwater’
"I love this sweep, but I’m still worried about Pete Fairbanks in October. Eleven blown saves already? Can Cash really keep running him out there in the ninth?"

Ray Torres:
"Shelby, that’s the million-dollar question. The bullpen is deeper now with Griffin Jax and Manuel Rodriguez, but Cash keeps saying Pete is the guy. Maybe we see a committee if things stay dicey — but if Fairbanks settles down, look out."

---

🎤 Special Guest: Ezequiel Tovar


🎶 [Player Spotlight Sounder]

Ray Torres:
"We’ve got the man of the hour, Ezequiel Tovar, joining us live after that walk-off on Friday. Zeke, congrats on number 20. How did it feel to get that moment at the Trop?"

Ezequiel Tovar:
"Thank you, Ray. It was special. You know, first few weeks here I was just trying to get comfortable with my new teammates, new city. But Friday night, full house, game on the line — that’s why we play. I wanted to do something big for the fans, and I’m glad I got it done."

Maria Delgado:
"Zeke, you’ve been huge defensively too. There was that play in the 3rd where you robbed Julio Rodriguez of a base hit — how much pride do you take in the glove work?"

Tovar:
"A lot. My job is to make pitchers’ lives easier. When they trust me behind them, it makes everybody better."

---

🎤 Exclusive Interview: Kevin Cash


Ray Torres:
"Manager Kevin Cash joins us now. Skip, you guys are 7-3 in your last 10 and in a playoff spot — what’s clicking right now?"

Kevin Cash:
"Ray, we’re just playing good baseball. Pitchers are attacking, defense is clean, and the bats are doing enough. The Seattle sweep was big — that’s a potential playoff opponent. These games matter."

Maria Delgado:
"You’ve been pinch-hitting for Jonathan Aranda against lefties lately, including Friday night. Any concern about taking his bat out of the lineup late?"

Cash:
"Aranda’s one of our best hitters, no doubt. We just like Romy’s splits in those spots. Unfortunately, he went down with that injury — so we’ll reevaluate how we handle those matchups moving forward."

---

🔥 Hot Takes & Playoff Picture


Ray Torres:
"So here’s where it stands: Rays hold the third Wild Card by a game over Baltimore, a game and a half over Boston, and they’re just half a game behind Detroit for the second spot. The Yankees are out of reach — 12 games up in the East — so it’s all about the Wild Card. Upcoming series in Milwaukee and Atlanta are going to be a measuring stick."

Maria Delgado:
"If Caminero was healthy, this might be one of the most balanced lineups in the AL. But even without him, this team is scrappy — 2nd in the AL in strikeouts by pitchers, 4th in steals, top-10 defense. If the bats stay hot, we might not just sneak into the playoffs — we could be dangerous once we’re there."

---

📣 Final Word


Ray Torres:
"So here we go — 37 games left, and every one of them matters. The Rays are surging, the Trop is buzzing, and this team just might be peaking at the perfect time. Next stop: Milwaukee, where they face a 73-52 Brewers team that leads the NL Central. Can Tampa keep the momentum going?"

🎶 [Outro Music Plays]

Maria Delgado:
"We’ll have it all for you right here on The Tampa Bay Rundown. For Ray Torres, I’m Maria Delgado — see you after the Milwaukee series. Go Rays!"

[Itsma806]

2026 Houston Astros 06/22-06/24

Overall Record:40-40 (1st AL West/1.5 over Athletics)

Game Results:

Game 1
Astros-7
Orioles-2

Game 2
Astros-4
Orioles-3

Game 3
Orioles-13
Astros-6

Astros win streak reaches four before losing final game against Baltimore

Houston won their last two versus Texas and their first two against Baltimore to reach a four game winning streak. That streak did come to end when the Astros got clobbered by Baltimore, 13-6.

Game one was another great outing for Hunter Brown who pitched 5.1 gave up 4 runs and struck out 1. He is now 11-1 on the year with a 2.58 ERA. His start was cut short however as he took a line drive to the head that saw him fall to the ground. Luckily, their was no fracture or major damage but was is being described as a 'head contusion' has seen him enter the 15 day IL. In response, JP France was called up from Triple A and will start Brown's next turn around in the rotation. How that goes will decide if he gets any other starts or moves into the bullpen. The Astros won game one, 7-2 behind a three hit performance by Kyle Tucker while Christian Walker remains hot with two hits of his own and three rbis.

Houston then won that fourth consecutive game by beating Baltimore 4-3 in game two.

Game three was bad from the start as Braxton Garrett continues to struggle since coming over to Houston in the May trade. He gave up 10 hits and 9 runs in just 2.1 innings of work. Both teams had four homeruns on the day one of which was pretty significant for the Astros. Yordan Alvarez hit his 26th of the season. That homerun was his first since June 10th which is quite the stretch for him (2 weeks).

Houston will now have a day off before they welcome the Phillies to town (42-40/3rd NL East).

[countryboy]

Cardinals 2028-2029 Offseason Outlook

The Cardinals don't need a complete overhaul of a team that won 99 games, won the NL Central Division, and advanced to the National League Championship Series, but they do need to fill some holes and also do their best to prevent new holes from forming by way of upcoming free agents.

The Cardinals will focus primarily on re-signing Ryan Helsley, Jarren Duran, and Alec Burleson this winter. That will be their top priority. After that, it will be adding pitching depth both in the rotation and the bullpen. After that, the focus then becomes right field.

PITCHING:

All 5 guys who finished the season in the rotation and in the playoffs are under contract or control, so there isn't a desperate need to address the starting rotation, but the Cardinals will look to potentially add an arm or two that could start right away should they move on from Tony Gonsolin or even Matthew Liberatore. The depth of the starting rotation took a hit when the Cards dealt away Kumar Rocker and Bobby Miller last year. Michael McGreevy has big league experience, but was in Memphis all season. Cooper Hjerpe is a name to watch that will get a lot of innings this Spring, but the Cards will still search for a backend arm. Tekoah Roby will get looks as well but he's potentially a trade chip should the Cards make a deal this winter.

The bullpen, especially the back end was strong for the Cards last year. Ryan Helsley, Jordan Hicks, Luke Weaver, and trade deadline acquired Mason Miller were stellar in closing out games. The problem is they are all right handed. The left handed options of Alex Vesia and AJ Puk struggled down the stretch with Vesia really struggling to get lefties out. So the Cards will likely look to add a left handed arm or two in free agency this winter. There is very little depth especially lefties in the organization that could make the big league roster this Spring, so the Cards will need to address that this winter.


CATCHING


Ivan Herrera will be the Opening Day catcher barring injury this Spring. Herrera had an outstanding year at the dish and managed the pitching staff extremely well. He did deal with injuries, including a shoulder injury that cost him the postseason. Victor Caratini was the backup, but the Cards will not resign him this winter. There will be an open tryout this Spring between the likes of Leonardo Bernal, Jimmy Crooks, Dario Laverde, Ryan Campos, and possibly Bert Hinton. Bernal got the call for the postseason but many believe that had Ryan Campos not been injured, it would've been him that was the backup, and even possibly the starter over Caratini.


INFIELD

The Cardinals will have to decide who plays 3rd base next season. They have internal options in Jordan Walker (he came up as a 3rd baseman), Nolan Gorman, Jackson Holliday (put JJ Wetherholt at 2nd base), Luis Ravelo, or they could re-sign Nolan Arenado which is very unlikely to happen. There is also the free agent market. Jose Ramiriez and Ryan McMahon will be potential free agents that the Cards could look towards.

The other big question will be 1st base should Alec Burleson not resign this winter. If Burleson were to move on, then Nolan Gorman will be slotted at 1st base which then takes him out of the equation for 3rd base. There are no internal options for the Cards at 1st base this winter. Blaze Jordan is the best option, but he didn't handle big league pitching well last year in his brief major league stent. The middle is taken care of by Masyn Winn and Jackson Holliday or JJ Wetherholt depending on what happens at 3rd base.


OUTFIELD

This, along with pitching is the biggest concern for the Cardinals this winter. Victor Scott II will be in centerfield, that's a lock. But the corner positions are up for grabs and it gets more worrisome if you can't convince Jarren Duran to return. The Cardinals have tried to build depth but it just isn't coming together as they hoped. Chase Davis had a season as the everyday left fielder two years ago and struggled. Jordan Walker isn't the best of gloves in rightfield and is a liability if his bat isn't producing. Joshua Baez is coming along slower than the Cards had hoped, but he could possibly be a reserve outfielder out of camp. Jack Gomez whom the Cards love for rightfield had 11 games in the bigs last year and looked overmatched. That doesn't mean that he can't find better success with more at-bats this spring. His glove and speed will translate to the major league level. Johnnie Escobar is another name, but he's more of a DH than an outfielder. He's capable of playing left field, but he will be a big defensive liability. Elijah Green is another name to keep an eye on, but he only played 50ish games last year due to injuries and could be a trade chip this winter.

it will be an interesting offseason for the Cards this winter. They re-sign the three top priority targets and this winter gets a little "easier'. They don't, especially Duran, and the Cards will be desperately trying to find players to fill those voids. The Cardinals have money to spend this winter, so they should be able to land 2 or 3 high dollar free agents, or over spend slightly to keep guys in place.

[countryboy]

Cardinals re-sign Ryan Helsley to 2 year deal

The Cardinals were able to secure one of their 3 priorities this winter as they resigned RHP Ryan Helsley to a 2 year $36M deal. Helsley won the National League Reliever of the Year Award last year and for the 3rd time in the last 5 years. He was also an All-Star again last season. Helsley recorded 40 saves in 44 opportunities last year. He will join Mason Miller and Jordan Hicks as arms returning to the bullpen next year.

The Cardinals are still negotiating with Alec Burleson and Jarren Duran.

Braves re-sign Ronald Acuna Jr to 9 year deal

The Braves have re-signed the face of their team as they resigned Ronald Acuna Jr to a 9 year $372M contract. Acuna was an all-star last season and was set to be one of the most coveted free agents on the market, but he will not make it there. The Cardinals had aspirations of kicking the tires on Acuna to fulfill their right field need.

[countryboy]

Braves sign Yordan Alvarez to 10 year deal

On of the most sought after free agents on the market has come off the board quickly. LF Yordan Alvarez and the Braves agreed to a 10 year $342M. Alvarez joins Ronald Acuna Jr in a lineup that could be extremely potent this upcoming season. Alvarez was being targeted by the Cubs, Padres and the Cardinals. The Cardinals best offer was 8 years $320M. The Cardinals had plans for Alvarez, but will now need to really focus on re-signing Alec Burleson to fulfill that #3 hitter role in the lineup.

Jarren Duran declines Qualifying Offer from Cardinals

LF Jarren Duran declined the Cardinals qualifying offer and will hit the open market. The QO was 1 year for $24.3M. The Cardinals also offered 2 years at $25M during the exclusive negotiating period, but Duran chose to hit the open market.

If the Cards can't convince Duran to return they will need to find help somewhere this winter. The outfield market isn't extremely deep this winter, so if they don't get Duran to sign, its possible the Cardinals look towards the trade market, but I suspect it will be tough given the shallow open market.

[countryboy]

Cardinals re-sign LHP AJ Puk and RHP Luke Weaver

The Cardinals have re-signed LHP AJ Puk and RHP Luke Weaver to one year deals. Puk's deal was for $8M while Weaver got $9M.

Both were instrumental in the success of the bullpen last year which turned out to be one of the best in baseball. There is still work to do as the Cardinals still need another left hander and need help with the lower leverage arms. But with these two coming back, the Cards now have Jordan Hicks, AJ Puk, Luke Weaver, Mason Miller, and Ryan Helsley locked in for the 2029 season.

[countryboy]

Jose Ramirez chooses Guardians, Riley Greene chooses Cubs over Cardinals

The Cardinals are now 0 for 3 in terms of signing a free agent they have made an offer towards. Yordan Alvarez already chose the Braves over the Cardinals and now 3B Jose Ramirez chose to return to Cleveland and OF Riley Greene chose the Cubs over the Cardinals. Jose Ramirez wasn't a difficult pill to swallow as it was expected he would return to the Guardians, but Riley Greene took less money and years to go to the Cubs over the Cardinals. Not only is it tough to lose a free agent you were highly interested in, but to lose them to your divisional rival, and them taking less money to do so, is a huge kick in the gut.

The Cardinals continue to negotiate with Jarren Duran, but he's rumored to be heavily interested in playing for the Padres next season.

The Cardinals desperately need at least one signing in the outfield as they just don't have the caliber player on deck to have the type of success next year as they did this year.

Back to the drawing board.

[Itsma806]

2026 Houston Astros 06/26-06/28

Overall Record:41-42 (1st AL West/1.0 over Athletics)

Game Results:

Game 1:
Phillies-6
Astros-3

Game 2:
Phillies-6
Astros-5

Game 3
Astros-3
Philies-0

France shines in season debut.

JP France handnt pitched in a MLB game since 2024. He was recently called up due to the Hunter Brown injury and immediately made an impact. Houston lost the first two games of their series versus Philadelphia in their last full series of June 2026.

Houston did however avoid the sweep in game 3 with France on the mound. France wasnt dominate in regarrds to strikeouts as he only tallied 4. He Was great however as in his first action since April 2024, he pitched a complete game shutout just the Astros 5th on the year.

Houston offense started in the very first inning when Yordan Alarez took the AL lead with his 27th homerun of the season.

The Astros went on to add two more as they took game three 3-0.

Houston will have a day off as they hit the road for a series against the Nationals (39-46) that will carry them into July.

[countryboy]

Cardinals re-sign Alec Burleson to 2 year contract

The Cardinals re-signed their 2nd top target internal free agents yesterday. The Cardinals and Alec Burleson agreed to a 2 year $20M contract. The 30 year old 1B/DH was big part of the Cardinals offense a year ago hitting .272 with 20 homeruns and 68 RBIs. This after missing nearly two months of the season due to injury. Burleson is expected to return to his #3 spot in the batting order this year.

The Cardinals continue their negotiations with Jarren Duran.

[countryboy]

Cardinals re-sign Jarren Duran

The Cardinals have locked up all 3 of their primary exclusive free agents by re-signing OF Jarren Duran to a 2 year $59M deal.

Duran was huge in the Cardinals success last season hitting .290 from the leadoff spot, stealing 40 bases and playing exceptional defense.

The Cardinals now have two outfield spots locked up with right field likely to be an open competition this spring amongst players already in the organization


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