The game includes a new game mode, named Storylines: A New Game Experience. This mode is set to focus on the Negro Leagues. The mode will feature eight players who played in the Negro Leagues, including Jackie Robinson, Buck O'Neil, Satchel Paige, Rube Foster, and more. The mode is a mix of gameplay and narration by Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick, highlighting moments from that player's career. For every new launch of MLB The Show, there would be a new season, featuring different players who also played in the Negro Leagues. These players would also become regular players in the other modes of the game.[4][5]
Other changes included Core Seasons in Diamond Dynasty, which would allow for 99 overall players to be obtained from day one, which take place every 6–8 weeks. For every new Core Season, only the players featured on that and the previous season can be used in Ranked and Conquest, plus players in the CORE set, which are always eligible. This, however, won’t affect other game modes in Diamond Dynasty, such as Play vs CPU. Another new addition is Captain Cards, in which once a certain tier requirement is met by building a team with players that Captain Card player specifies, such as players from certain seasons, teams, or having certain attributes, it would boost your team significantly. Proper two-way play was also implemented in this release; this makes it possible for players such as Shohei Ohtani to be used as both a starting pitcher and as a true designated hitter.