I have started a franchise in MLB The Show and decided to undertake a rebuild and complete transformation of an organization from top to bottom.
Due to no actual baseball being played it felt weird playing a standard franchise in MLB The Show with my usual team, the Cleveland Indians. I decided to undertake a new challenge. To identify and select a team to rebuild from top to bottom.
Step 1: Criteria used when selecting a team.
I wanted to find a team that was lackluster at the MLB level, but has a good group of prospects that will be helpful down the line. (It is worth noting that I am using a roster that was uploaded by a user who created the full minor league system allowing for this to be more accurate than the generic minor leaguers in the game). Considering that the minor league rosters are accurate, I used the MLB farm system rankings to pick my team. After scrolling past the first three teams, I quickly found the team to turnaround. The Miami Marlins. Going to admit that there is some pettiness here. The pettiness factor will have a thorough explanation later.
Step 2: Sorting through the roster
Looking at the roster of the Miami Marlins there are some pieces that are clear trade candidates and others who point towards foundational pieces. After that it was time to cut bait with some players that have no future with the team. Anyone with a potential of “D” was released. This created room to make some short term signings. Next to go were players with potentials of “C” over the age of 30 with a rating of 70 or below. Those above 70 can be part of later trades.
Step 3: Finding good prospects in free agency
Sorting through the available free agents I found that there were some players available that would make great additions to an already robust farm system. Signing multiple players with a “B” potential who were 22 years old or younger was an easy way to add talent. It also provided some potential trade chips for a later date. A time when the team may be in a spot where playoffs are attainable.
Step 4: Short term signings
In an effort to acquire more assets I went to the free agent pool and signed some players for the sole purpose of flipping them for more prospects. Free agents were signed to deals for only one or two years making it easier to move them. Players such as Yaisel Puig, Scooter Gennett and Arodys Vizcaino were available in free agency. Signing Puig, Gennett, and Vizcaino provides a way to acquire younger and less expensive talent when the tear down eventually comes. Contending teams would value their ability and will pay quite a bit for them. It’s all about acquiring pieces to move and moving them at the right time.
