This piece marks the beginning of what will be a six-part series in which I will dive into a completely hypothetical scenario, one in which the Twins are able to snag a player from each MLB team independently of one another. The key word here is independently; in my hypothetical, each selection is made with the assumption that the other selections don't exist. While discussing the Orioles, the scenario is that the Twins get to select a player from the Orioles. While discussing the Red Sox, the scenario is that the Twins get to select a player from the Red Sox, but the selection from the Orioles doesn't exist and never will, and so on. The ultimate goal is to look at each team and find the player within their organization that would be most valuable to the Twins if they were able to add the player to their organization free of any trade return, with a few stipulations that remove certain players from consideration. However, framing it that way isn't as much fun as creating an alternate universe (or 29 of them), so here we are. With each selection, the Twins would have the player added to their organization today, along with their contract, but with no trade return going back to the other team.
The Rules
1. Players who have finished top 5 in MVP or Cy Young voting at any point in their career are ineligible. The reason for this rule is to exclude easy picks such as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, etc., in order to make this a little more challenging and not as surface level. There would still be plenty of difficult decisions without this stipulation, but adding this piece makes it even more difficult.
2. Players with a 2025 salary of $20M or higher are ineligible. This one is intended to add an element of realisticness to an unrealistic scenario. I'm already giving the Twins the MLB version of a genie that grants their wish; the least I can do is limit the dollar amount that they're allowed to add. Would ownership approve of a $40 million increase in payroll if it meant adding Aaron Judge today? Probably. We'll never know because I'm not going to allow it.
3. Prospects are eligible, but only if they've reached AA or higher. The last of three stipulations, this one is simply to keep the focus on MLB or MLB-ready players. There are certainly 18-year-old prospects in some organizations that would be wonderful for the Twins to snag and get to work on developing, but I would like to focus on guys who we have either seen at the MLB level or will very soon.
With the scenario explained, and the rules in place, it's time to make selections from the AL East.
If the Twins had the opportunity to take a player from each MLB team, who would they choose? (Part 1: AL East)
Baltimore Orioles: Jackson Holliday, 2B, Age 21
Notable Ineligibles: Gunnar Henderson
Making a selection from the Orioles was pretty easy once Gunnar Henderson was ruled out, and that selection is Jackson Holliday. Selected first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Holliday spent a good chunk of time as MLB.com's highest-ranked prospect in baseball before finally reaching the big leagues for the first time in 2024. His rookie season did not go well, as he slashed just .189/.255/.311 over 60 games that spread across two stints in the majors. However, he has looked much better this season. Through 54 games, he is slashing .264/.315/.428 with seven homers, as well as a .326 wOBA and .344 xwOBA, which paired together indicate some bad luck. Holliday has shown tremendous improvement from last season to this season and is still just 21 years old. His talent is undeniable, and it's exciting to think about how high his ceiling might be.
Where Holliday would fit in for the Twins today would be interesting, as they currently have Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Brooks Lee across the infield, all of whom look like long-term staples. They also have Luke Keaschall, Kaelen Culpepper, and Edouard Julien, all potentially fitting into the long-term infield plans. Perhaps Holliday or one of the others could be moved to the outfield, or maybe the Twins just find themselves in a place where they have 6 or 7 really good infielders. Too much quality depth at a position is always a good problem to have and also is the type of issue that typically solves itself. Jackson Holliday would be an extremely exciting player for the Twins to add and would give them another potential franchise cornerstone of the future next to guys like Royce Lewis and Walker Jenkins.
Boston Red Sox: Garrett Crochet, SP, Age 25
Notable Ineligibles: Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman
You can't really go wrong with the Red Sox because even after removing Devers and Bregman from the list, Garrett Crochet is still there, as is the young trio of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer, any of which would be a great selection. This one may be controversial, but despite the prospect pedigree of each of those position players, I'm going with Crochet.
Over the past year and a half, Crochet has established himself as one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. In 32 starts for the White Sox last year, the latter half of which included strict pitch and inning restrictions, Crochet had a 3.58 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP with 209 strikeouts and 33 walks in 146 innings. This past offseason, he was traded to the Red Sox and signed a six-year extension worth $170 million. In his first year with the Red Sox this season, Crochet has made 13 starts, pitching to a 1.98 ERA with 101 strikeouts and 26 walks in 82 innings. Despite slight negative trends in the strikeout and walk numbers from last season, Crochet has decreased his ERA by over a run and a half from last season and looks like a shoo-in All-Star and a Cy Young candidate at the point.
Crochet would slot in as the top starter in the Twins rotation, which would be arguably the best in baseball with his addition. With Pablo López, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober all under contract through the 2027 season, adding Crochet would give the Twins a World Series-level rotation for at least the next two and a half seasons. That's not even to mention Zebby Matthews, David Festa, or anyone else that the Twins have in their minor league system.
New York Yankees: Will Warren, SP, Age 25
Notable Ineligibles: Aaron Judge, Max Fried
Making a selection from the Yankees was a very interesting process. Without rules that prohibit, Aaron Judge would be the obvious choice. However, when you remove him and the rest of their guys who make big money, the options aren't as abundant. I debated between Will Warren and Jasson Domínguez for a while. Domínguez is a very toolsy young outfielder who got his first taste of the majors in 2023 at the age of 20. He has dealt with some injuries and some defensive struggles in the outfield, and while there's still plenty of reason to believe that he can be a star outfielder, I chose Will Warren.
Warren made six appearances for the Yankees last season, and they did not go well, as he pitched 22.2 innings to a 10.32 ERA. However, he has looked much better this season. His ERA sits at 5.19, but that was largely hurt by a blowup start at Dodger Stadium last weekend. He has totaled 69 strikeouts in 52 innings this season, and personally, I'd be very excited to see what the Twins' staff could get out of him. I'm no professional scout, but in watching Warren pitch, he reminds me a great deal of Michael King, who also was with the Yankees for a while and has now become one of the better starting pitchers in baseball. Warren would likely slot into the back end of the Twins' rotation to begin with.
Tampa Bay Rays: Junior Caminero, 3B, Age 21
Notable Ineligibles: None
With the Rays, there were two players that I considered for the selection, with Taj Bradley getting a good look, but ultimately, it would be irresponsible not to choose Junior Caminero. Still just 21 and recently one of the top prospects in baseball, Caminero has recently hit his stride offensively. He currently has a .340 wOBA, is slugging .507 with 14 home runs, and also has an average bat speed of 78.1 MPH that is second in MLB, behind only Oneil Cruz. Caminero's age, paired with his recent offensive surge, gives the indication that he has tremendous offensive potential, and while the defense isn't quite there yet, it may not matter with the way he has been hitting.
With the Twins, Caminero would likely slot in as a first baseman and designated hitter for right now, with the potential to be their long-term solution at first base. There would be no reason to give up on him as a long-term third baseman right now, but he certainly isn't better defensively at the hot corner than Royce Lewis at present. Caminero has the potential to become the type of player that anchors the heart of a lineup for many years, and the outlook of the Twins lineup would improve drastically with this addition.
Toronto Blue Jays: Mason Fluharty, RP, Age 23
Notable Ineligibles: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Alright, just hear me out on this one. After the exclusion of Vladdy (who I'm not sure I'd be committed to paying half a billion dollars anyway), there aren't a lot of names on the Blue Jays that really make a ton of sense here. Their top starters are all getting paid big money and aren't exactly trending upward, and they have a lot of hitters who haven't shown much consistency. Addison Barger was worth a look, but ultimately, I settled on grabbing a rookie left-handed reliever in Mason Fluharty.
Fluharty is a really interesting pitcher. He throws just two pitches, a cutter and a slider. Those two pitches have been enough for Fluharty to pitch to a 3.33 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP through 24.1 innings this season, totaling 25 strikeouts. This is another one where I'd be very curious to see what the Twins' staff could do with him. Perhaps they could add a pitch that moves arm side to his repertoire, such as a sinker or a splitter. Even as is, Fluharty would be an excellent addition to the Twins' already strong bullpen and potentially provide them with a long-term high-leverage option that throws from the left side.