New Threads 2.0 dropped a lot of cards. Most of them don't matter for ranked. A handful do.

This isn't an overall-rating tier list. It's a does-this-win-games tier list, built on swing feel, pitch mix, control, and how a card actually plays across difficulties — not what the card back says.

Five names carry this drop: Skubal, May, Adley, Raley, Hope. Everything else is role-dependent. Here's the breakdown.

• Tier List Overview
• S Tier: Grind These Immediately
• Tarik Skubal
• Dustin May
• Adley Rutschman
• Brooks Raley
• Zyhir Hope
• A Tier: Strong, But Role-Specific
• B Tier: Fine, But Replaceable
• C Tier: Theme Teams and Offline Only
• D Tier: Skip It
• Best Cards by Role
• Grind and Buy Priority
• Difficulty Matters
• FAQ
• Is Tarik Skubal worth grinding?
• Is Adley Rutschman the best catcher in MLB The Show 26?
• Is Dustin May actually S Tier?
• What's the best no-money-spent pickup from this drop?
• Who's the best bullpen arm in New Threads 2.0?
• Bottom Line

↖ Tier List Overview

↖ S Tier: Grind These Immediately

↖ Tarik Skubal

Better control than his collection card, and he's free. That's the whole pitch. Command upgrades matter more than velocity online — fewer accidental meatballs, fewer PAR disasters.

Verdict: Top-3 starter in the game right now. Put him in your rotation and stop shopping.

↖ Dustin May

His delivery makes hitters late, early, or just wrong — often in the same at-bat. The sinker plays heavy, the offspeed hides behind his release, and none of that shows up cleanly in the attribute numbers.

Verdict: Works on All-Star through Legend. If opponents can't pick up his arm angle fast, he wins games by himself.

↖ Adley Rutschman

A switch-hitting catcher with real power, real contact, and legit defense. Upgrades over his All-Star version: power, contact, clutch, speed, pop time — small gains individually, big gains stacked.

Verdict: Best catcher in the game on Legend. Still top-tier on Hall of Fame/All-Star. Grindable, not a stub sink.

↖ Brooks Raley

Slow velocity, elite command, sweeper-heavy mix. He lives on the corners and forces hitters to chase — and that gets worse for the batter as PCI shrinks on higher difficulties.

Verdict: Best lefty bullpen arm in the drop. Especially brutal on Legend.

↖ Zyhir Hope

Lefty outfield bat with an above-average swing and legit power. Parallels push him even higher. Not automatically better than your stacked-outfield elites, but better than most of what's currently sitting on your bench.

Verdict: Start him if your outfield isn't already loaded.

↖ A Tier: Strong, But Role-Specific

Eric Miller — Hard-throwing lefty reliever with a nasty sinker. Control is the catch — PARs balloon in bad counts. Free/cheap budget arm that competes with pricier options if you pitch him smart.

Liam Hicks — Free lefty catcher bat. Good against righties, easy program pickup. If your catcher slot already has Adley or Perez, he's bench depth, not a starter.

Adrien Beltre — Solid, not special. Arenado and Cabrera-type righty 3Bs give more for similar or less. Buy only if the price drops or you're a fan.

Arias — Contact and vision spike hard on Legend, feel underwhelming on All-Star. Second base is stacked, so he's a difficulty-dependent pickup, not an auto-add.

Taylor Ward — Crushes lefties, shaky as an everyday starter. Bench him as a platoon weapon, not a full-time outfielder.

↖ B Tier: Fine, But Replaceable

Clay Holmes — Nasty sinker, thin pitch mix. Great for a rebuilding rotation, easy cut once you land better arms.

Jose Soriano — One outlier sinker, then not much else. Stronger hitters sit on it and adjust. Works if you pitch aggressively.

Nate Lowe — Strong on paper vs righties. Swing feels stiff in practice — use as a pinch-hit specialist, not a full-time 1B.

Casey Mize — Average velocity, decent splitter, no real separator. More playable on Legend where location matters more than velocity.

Luis Garcia — A 99 that doesn't play like a 99. First base demands elite bats, and this isn't one.

Brazoban — Good sinker, shaky control. Cheap righty bullpen arm if you need innings.

Ryan Zeferjahn — Fills a thin bullpen. Nothing special, easily replaced.

↖ C Tier: Theme Teams and Offline Only

Luke Weaver — Has a cutter, surprises once. Loses value the second time through a lineup.

Connor Early — Smooth on Pinpoint, mediocre pitch mix. Comfortable to throw, easy to punish.

Curtis Mead — Better swing than expected, attributes too light for ranked. Fine on All-Star.

Daulton Varsho — Nice swing, not enough power. Theme-team value only.

Joe Adell — Split-heavy contact, no elite tool. One of the weaker 99s in the drop.

↖ D Tier: Skip It

Use these for missions and program fodder. Don't build around them.

↖ Best Cards by Role

↖ Grind and Buy Priority

1. Skubal — grind now

2. Adley — finish the collection

3. May — buy or grind, depending on price

4. Hope — start if OF has room

5. Raley — bullpen upgrade

6. Eric Miller — budget bullpen

7. Taylor Ward — bench vs lefties

8. Hicks — catcher depth

9. Beltre — only if price drops

10. Arias — mainly for Legend players

No-money-spent players: Skubal, Adley, Miller, Hicks, and Arias build a real roster without spending a stub.

↖ Difficulty Matters

If you play Legend, don't sleep on control and vision stats. If you play All-Star, raw power still wins arguments.

↖ FAQ

↖ Is Tarik Skubal worth grinding?

Yes. Better command than his previous card, free to unlock, and immediately one of the best starters in the game.

↖ Is Adley Rutschman the best catcher in MLB The Show 26?

On Legend, yes — switch-hitting, strong defense, balanced offense. On Hall of Fame/All-Star he's still elite, just not the only option.

↖ Is Dustin May actually S Tier?

Yes. His delivery and movement create timing problems attributes alone don't explain. Effective across every difficulty.

↖ What's the best no-money-spent pickup from this drop?

Skubal, no contest. Miller, Hicks, and Arias round out a free roster nicely.

↖ Who's the best bullpen arm in New Threads 2.0?

Raley for control and Legend-level deception. Miller if you want velocity from the left side on a budget.

↖ Bottom Line

Skubal, May, Adley, Raley, and Hope are the only cards worth prioritizing without hesitation. Everything else — Miller, Ward, Hicks, Arias, Lowe — depends on what your roster is actually missing.

Skip the D-Tier names unless a mission forces your hand. A 99 overall means nothing if the swing feels wrong or the pitch mix gets read after one at-bat. Chase the cards that solve a real problem on your team, not the ones that just look good on the card back.