There's a nice bit of news for anyone who'd rather grind than drain their MLB 26 Stubs: MLB The Show 26 now has a free 95 Overall Milestone Jacob deGrom up for grabs. You don't need to play the market, rip packs, or hope for a lucky pull. You just need to beat the new Extreme Showdown. It's not a walk in the park, and it's not meant to be. Still, for a starter this good, most Diamond Dynasty players will at least take a few swings at it.

Why the deGrom Showdown matters

The card celebrates deGrom reaching the 100 Win Club, and SDS didn't make it a throwaway reward. The Showdown asks you to work through several moments, with mini-bosses standing in the way before you get to deGrom himself. If you mess it up, that stings, but you can run it back. That repeatable setup matters. A lot of players aren't perfect on Extreme content first try, especially when one bad inning or one cold stretch at the plate can ruin the run.

What makes this card dangerous

On the mound, deGrom looks like the kind of pitcher you'll see everywhere for a while. His 100 stamina means he can stay in games, and his control keeps him from feeling wild even when you're working the edges. The H/9 and K/9 numbers are strong enough to play in ranked, but the pitch mix is the real reason people are talking. Four-seam fastball, slider, circle change, slurve, and sinker. That's plenty to work with. The slider has huge break, and with Outlier plus Break Outlier in the quirk set, you're not just throwing hard. You're making hitters uncomfortable.

Other content worth clearing

The update isn't only about deGrom. The Lou Gehrig Day Conquest map is worth your time too, especially if you like picking up free packs while moving through offline content. You can earn the Lou Gehrig Day bat skin, Show Packs, Headliner Packs, Deluxe Packs, Jumbo Show Packs, and 4,000 XP. There are usually hidden rewards tucked into these maps as well, so don't just rush the strongholds and leave the board half-finished. Lou Gehrig also has a temporary 99 Overall supercharge, which gives players who already own him a short window to use a monster bat in the lineup.

Pack options and collection planning

Andy Pettitte is the new Headliner, and he's a solid left-handed option if your rotation needs a different look. His stamina is high, his control is reliable, and the cutter, sinker, curveball mix can be annoying to face when used well. At the same time, plenty of players are already looking ahead to future Legends and Flashbacks collections. Cards tied to Ketel Marte, Mickey Mantle, Jose Ramirez, and Jolt Series rewards could become important later. If you're short on time and checking the market for MLB 26 Stubs for sale, just make sure you're also clearing the free content, because deGrom is one of those rewards that can save you a serious chunk of your team budget.