MLB The Show 26 awards Munetaka Murakami at 27 eligible Postseason cards, Jake Bauers at 32, Freddy Peralta at 38, and William Contreras only after all 49 are collected. Check your count before buying team cards with MLB The Show 26 Stubs because those cards support missions but do not replace collection requirements.

The 49-card collection sets four reward thresholds

The collection tracks 49 eligible Postseason cards across the completed 2026 programs. Forty-six come from 11 programs: the World Series supplies 10, Guardians versus Rays supplies five, four programs supply four each, and five programs supply three each. The rewards arrive at 27 cards for Murakami, 32 for Bauers, 38 for Peralta, and 49 for Contreras. Since Wild Card and Division Series rewards total 13 and 14 cards, completing both reaches Murakami exactly. That makes early-round progress the correct first check, even if your main goal is a later reward. The count excludes unrelated cards from other modes.

1) Open the collection screen and record your eligible-card count before spending Stubs on any team mission or claiming a card for another use.

2) Finish Wild Card and Division Series programs first when below 27, since their 13 and 14 cards reach Murakami exactly.

3) Add League Championship and World Series progress based on owned team cards, checking each reward track before starting missions that need extra purchases.

plus missions determine the best Stubs spend

Stubs matter most for temporary team cards, not for the collection rewards themselves. Postseason programs ask for hits, strikeouts, and Player XP using the two teams in each matchup, so a small group of affordable players can clear the specific missions faster than unsuitable cards. League Championship programs or the World Series Program can provide Bauers's next five cards, letting you choose the track that matches your roster. Sell mission cards afterward when they are not eligible, but remember that adding an eligible card to the collection removes its sale option.

● Use mid-priced cards from both required teams to cover hits, strikeouts, and Player XP without tying up premium Stubs for one program.

● Sell temporary mission cards after their tasks end, while keeping every eligible card needed for your collection count and later milestones.

● Choose older programs first when your roster is thin, since active-series demand can make matching team cards more expensive during current missions.

Full disclosure: The collection itself cannot be purchased, and every collected card becomes unavailable for sale.

The last 11 cards create the main completion risk

Peralta at 38 requires more than simply reaching the first two milestones. Most routes involve the Championship Series programs plus meaningful World Series progress, whose track awards 10 collection cards before 100 points. Contreras requires every eligible card, including the few outside programs, so the last 11 slots can expose an unfinished early team program. A skipped program cannot be replaced by buying its reward directly; you must complete its team missions. Prices can also shift when a series is active, which makes older programs a sensible place to spend effort before tackling costly gaps.

● Check the collection screen after every reward track so outside-program cards are not mistaken for missing program rewards.

● Keep a small Stubs reserve for team cards if an active series raises prices during its opening mission period.

● Treat 38 as a planning checkpoint, because reaching Peralta does not remove the need for 11 more eligible cards.

Check the collection before the last push

Count your cards now, finish early programs, and use the option to buy MLB The Show 26 Stubs only when team missions leave you short on usable players. Then push through the World Series track and check every remaining slot before claiming Contreras.

Working towards the Postseason Collection in MLB The Show 26 Pick up Stubs from U4GM at https://www.u4gm.com/mlb-the-show-26/stubs and build a team for those series missions. Check your collection first, then focus on the cards you still need for Murakami, Bauers, Peralta and Contreras.