Let’s be honest—MLB The Show 25 offers plenty of chances to buy your way to a stacked Diamond Dynasty team. But for those of us grinding without spending real money, mlb the show 25 stubsthe journey to a god squad takes patience, planning, and a little market savvy. The good news? You can build a top-tier team completely free-to-play if you’re strategic about it.
1. Prioritize Program Rewards Over Packs
Instead of chasing luck in standard packs, focus your efforts on Featured Programs. These programs reward consistent play with diamond-level cards, XP boosts, and stubs. Many of the best early players—90+ OVR pitchers, power bats, and speedsters—are earned just by progressing through the program path.
To maximize this, always check which missions and moments are tied to the program. If there’s a “get 15 strikeouts with Yankees pitchers” challenge, make sure your squad includes those players during all game modes (Conquest, Mini Seasons, etc.). You’ll be grinding rewards without even thinking about it.
2. Team Affinity – Region-Specific Rewards
Team Affinity is one of the best long-term grinds. It rewards you with region-specific players for using teams from that division. For example, completing AL East missions unlocks cards like 88-92 OVR hitters and pitchers from the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, etc.
You earn progress by:
Playing innings with AL East players
Completing region Showdowns
Doing mini-missions like “hit 2 HRs with an AL East player”
The key here? Focus on one region at a time so you progress faster. Stack your lineup with those players—even bench guys contribute innings—and you’ll unlock multiple diamonds per region.
3. Flip the Marketplace Like a Pro
Stubs are everything in Diamond Dynasty. If you want to build a dream team, you’ll need to work the marketplace.
Here’s the basic flip strategy:
Filter by “Gold” or “Silver” tier players
Look for cards with a big gap between “Buy Now” and “Sell Now”
Place a buy order just above the lowest “Buy Now”
Immediately list the card for the highest “Sell Now” price
You’ll pocket 5-20 stubs per flip, but repeat that 30-40 times and you’re racking up thousands of stubs a day. Flip during peak hours (evenings and weekends) when the market is most active.
Don’t waste stubs early on players that will become obsolete in two weeks. Let your stubs stack and spend them on Collections or event-limited cards that retain value.
4. Use Events to Farm Competitive Players
Events are a free-to-play player’s dream. Since they restrict who you can use (e.g., only lefties, or under-85 OVR players), you don’t need a loaded team to win games. Winning just a few games rewards you with packs and stubs, and progressing to 20+ wins can earn you exclusive Event cards—many of which sell for 20,000+ stubs or become usable in Ranked.
Even if you’re not dominating, you’re earning just by playing.
5. Sell Early, Buy Late
Prices fluctuate fast when new content drops. A gold player worth 3,000 stubs today might drop to 800 in a week. As a free-to-play user, the best advice is to:
Sell high early: If you pull a valuable card from a reward pack, cash out before the market floods.
Buy late: Cards from previous programs become much cheaper as the meta shifts.
By selling early and building your team slowly, you’ll eventually piece together a roster full of diamonds without ever buying stubs.
Remember: Patience is the key. You’re not just building a squad—you’re building value over time.
