Most Anticipated 2025 Games: MLB The Show 25 welcomes new legends

A new calendar year is upon us! I had my Xbox repaired this week and I was so proud of myself for actually remembering to sign 2025 as the year on my receipt. App Trigger is giving you previews of some of the upcoming games we're most excited about this year.

It won't be long before pitchers and catchers report for spring training, and likely not after that before MLB The Show starts up. Brian Mazique of Forbes Magazine expects fans will be pleased with the some of the changes in store.

We're seeing baseball soften towards some of the steroid era superstars. Was using PEDs illegal by the letter of baseball's law? Without question. Were the ridiculous stats put up in that era crucial in maintaining fan interest, possibly saving the game itself? Without question. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have appeared in recent installments, and fans have largely been OK with their arrival.

Mazique has heard mentions of Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Nomar Garciaparra, and Manny Ramirez as Show legends for 2025. There are rumors about Barry Bonds, the most infamous name from the steroid era. He has begun working with Topps to produce new baseball collectibles, spurring even more speculation. Mazique noted that none of his sources have confirmed Bonds' inclusion.

Bonds' absence from pro baseball games goes back a long way. During the era in which EA Sports still made baseball sims, Bonds licensed his own likeness. This removed him from MLBPA deals such as the one governing video game appearances. EA would replace him with the fictional athlete Jon Dowd, who would take his place alongside the likes of Tecmo Bowl's QB Bills.

The Negro League Storylines will return, and I can't be more excited. They are some of the best story content I've seen in any sports game, and I learn something every year. I also love using Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and other legends from these leagues annually. It's a win-win.

Diamond Dynasty, The Show's Ultimate Team-style mode, is getting one of the biggest changes. The concept of sets and seasons is being retired. In theory, it was supposed to prevent the mode from stagnating as everybody used the same handful of cards.

But players who weren't able to grind hours a day found themselves at a serious disadvantage. Once they finally earned the chase card they were looking for, they often had only a month to play with it before it cycled out.

Plus, making the card pool smaller really only increases "the everybody is playing the same cards issue." Any card pool big or small will have a small group of cards that are better than the rest. That's always what the most competitive players will quickly end up playing.