Plenty of Diamond Dynasty grinds look ugly when you first open the collection screen, and the Vintage chase for Ketel Marte can feel that way too. You need 27 cards, which sounds like a stub sink, but it doesn't have to be. The trick is to treat the market as part of the grind, not the whole answer. If you're careful with your MLB 26 Stubs, you can skip the overpriced names and build around the cheap base-tier Vintage cards while the free rewards pile up in the background.

Start with the market, but don't get greedy

Before playing a game, check the Vintage filter and sort by price. You're looking for cards sitting around 4,000 to 5,000 stubs, not the flashy pulls everyone wants on day one. Buy a few of those cheaper options and put them straight into your squad. That matters because they'll start earning Parallel XP while you're doing Conquest, Mini Seasons, or any other offline work. If you pull a big-ticket Vintage card such as Derek Jeter, Chase Utley, or Larry Walker, don't feel forced to lock it in. Selling one expensive card can often pay for several cheaper collection pieces, and that's usually the better play.

Let offline modes do more than one job

The fastest route is stacking missions instead of chasing one checklist at a time. The Vintage Program asks for basic stats like hits, total bases, and strikeouts, so take those into modes where you were already going to play. Conquest is a little slow because of the strongholds, but it's useful. You can grind team stats, use your cheap Vintage cards, and pick up rewards along the way, including Nolan Arenado and multiple packs. Diamond Quest is more direct. Load in at the highest difficulty you can handle, attack the stronghold, win the game, and grab the free player cards. It's not glamorous, but it saves stubs.

Mini Seasons is the long part, so plan for it

Mini Seasons takes time, and there's no real way around that. The good news is that its player chain is simple if you know what's coming. Get 10 strikeouts with any reliever to earn Matt Strahm. Use Strahm for two saves, and Raul Ibanez opens up. Get on base six times with Ibanez to move on to Ryan McMahon. Then use McMahon for extra-base hits to unlock Mitch Garver. While all that is happening, keep Vintage cards in your lineup so the 10,000 Vintage PXP target doesn't feel like a separate chore. The 22,000 general PXP reward will come naturally if you aren't swapping squads every other game.

Use online play after your team is ready

The Old School Event is worth doing, but I wouldn't jump into it first unless you enjoy sweating with a half-built roster. Once your team has better bats and a few mission cards, the event becomes much less annoying. It gives XP, Gleyber Torres, and another Deluxe Vintage pack, so it helps close the gap. Don't forget the collection rewards either. Locking in 12 Vintage cards gives you Joc Pederson, and reaching 20 gives you Ubaldo Jimenez. Those cards count toward Marte, which is easy to miss when you're staring at the marketplace.

Keep the spend under control

If you follow this path, most of the collection fills itself through programs, Conquest, Diamond Quest, Mini Seasons, events, and milestone rewards. That should leave you buying only the cheapest missing cards instead of chasing the names at the top of the market. Prices move, of course, so check buy orders and don't panic-buy after a pack drop. With patience, a 100,000-stub range is realistic, especially if you sell premium pulls and reinvest in lower-cost pieces. Players looking for cheap MLB The Show Stubs should still focus on smart collection choices, because Marte is much easier to afford when every card has a purpose.