MLB The Show 26 added another Diamond Dynasty grind on May 29 with the Vintage Series, and it's clearly built for players who enjoy team-specific throwback cards rather than random legends tossed into packs. The set leans on a Topps Heritage-style idea, giving attention to players tied to strong runs with one club. If you're saving resources, flipping cards, or just watching the market for MLB 26 stubs, this is one of those drops where planning matters. The headline reward is 96 OVR Ketel Marte from the collection, but the program itself also hands out five useful cards before you even touch the bigger collection chase.

Vintage Program rewards

The Vintage Program goes to 100 points, and the reward path is pretty simple. At 5 points, you'll get 1,000 XP, followed by a standard MLB The Show 26 pack at 10 points and 250 Stubs at 15. The first player arrives at 20 points with 92 OVR Luis Arraez. From there, you pick up more XP, packs, and Stubs before reaching 92 OVR Robbie Ray at 40 points. Michael Conforto, a 93 OVR card, comes at 60 points, while 93 OVR Lou Gehrig is available at 80. The final stop is 100 points, where 94 OVR Matt Carpenter waits. It's not flashy in every slot, but it's practical. You're getting cards that also help with the wider Vintage collection.

How to earn points

There are no Moments this time, which some players will love and others will miss. The basic stat missions ask you to tally 31 hits, 47 total bases, 17 runs, 18 strikeouts, six homers, and five wins in any mode. Most of that will happen naturally if you're playing Conquest, Mini Seasons, Ranked, or even just grinding offline. PXP missions are also part of the route: 2,000 and 4,000 PXP with Vintage Series players, plus 6,000 PXP with anyone. The bonus tasks add a little variety. You can win a Conquest game, win a Battle Royale game, earn 500 PXP with Carlos Beltran, collect 1,000 PXP with former MLB The Show 18 Immortals, or put up 1,500 PXP with Jolt Series cards.

Collection path and card sources

The Vintage collection has three reward steps. You need 12 cards for 94 OVR Joc Pederson, 20 cards for 95 OVR Ubaldo Jimenez, and 27 cards for 96 OVR Ketel Marte. As usual, Sony spread the cards across several places instead of leaving everything in packs. One comes from Chase packs, two are collection rewards, one is tied to Conquest, two are in Diamond Quest, one sits in Events, four come through Mini Seasons, 15 are pack-based, and five are earned from the program. The program cards are Arraez, Ray, Conforto, Gehrig, and Carpenter, so don't ignore the free path if you're serious about Marte.

Mini Seasons grind and smart priorities

The Mini Seasons cards take a little work, but it's manageable if you stack your lineup with purpose. For 92 OVR Matt Strahm, you need 10 strikeouts with relievers or closers in Vintage Mini Seasons. After that, two saves in the same mode unlock Raul Ibanez. Once you have Ibanez, get on base six times with him to earn Ryan McMahon. The longest task is 22,000 PXP with any players for Mitch Garver, so it's better to start that early instead of leaving it for a late grind. If the market gets tight and you'd rather speed up the collection, some players may choose to buy MLB 26 stubs while they focus their actual playtime on the program, Mini Seasons, and the cards that can't simply be grabbed from the board.