Managers & Coaches
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For the past I would say 15-20 years almost every manager and coach that was in the mlb was included in the game at launch but for some odd reason only about half of the managers and coaches are in the game this year. @sds_joek_psn can you explain why about half of the managers and coaches in the mlb are missing from the game this year and possibly let us know if there’s a possibility of a future update where they get added at a later date. Thank you.
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I noticed the Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy is missing. Not a deal breaker, but it's nice to have the real coaches.
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@That70s_Gamer_PSN right there with you … he was in last year’s game wasn’t he? Also still waiting on cubs home game start times to be patched!!!
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So I found out that the reason so many coaches and managers are missing from MLB The Show 26 is because the MLBPA (the players' union) officially cut off their licensing program in late 2024.
Before this change, coaches and managers were part of a "group license" handled by the union. They used to get annual checks—roughly $50,000 each—just to have their names and faces in the game. However, due to tax and legal issues, the union stopped those payments and ended the group deal.
MLB The Show 25 (last year) was likely safe because the contracts for that game were signed and locked in before the cutoff. But for MLB The Show 26, the developers (Sony/SDS) no longer had a "one-stop shop" to buy everyone's rights. Since they’d now have to negotiate with hundreds of coaches individually, they simply replaced about half the league with generic, fake models instead.
Also the reason you still see guys like Stephen Vogt, Kevin Cash, and Terry Francona is that they are former players. Sony likely already owns their rights through separate "Legend" or retired player contracts, so they can keep them in the game easily. But for others like Aaron Boone, if a separate individual deal isn't reached, they get swapped out for a generic placeholder. I hope this makes sense and clears the confusion.
