Continuing with this series, it's time to move to the National League, beginning in the East. For a quick reminder, this is a hypothetical scenario in which the Twins can select one player from each team in the MLB, taking the player and their contract instantly. The selections are meant to be independent from one another, and players can not be a top 5 MVP or Cy Young finisher at any point in their career, must have had a salary of less than $20M in 2025, and must have reached Double-A or higher if they have not debuted in the Majors.
Here are links to each of the first three parts of the series. Part 1: AL East, Part 2: AL Central, Part 3: AL West.
Atlanta Braves: Drake Baldwin, C, Age 24
Notable Ineligibles: Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr.
Ronald Acuña Jr. would be the easy choice here if he were an option, but he isn't. Spencer Strider would have been intriguing too, but he did struggle this season coming off of injury, and he isn't an option. With those two removed, there was also some consideration for Spencer Schwellenbach, but the pick is Drake Baldwin.
Baldwin, 24, got an opportunity as the Braves' Opening Day catcher this season after Sean Murphy was injured in Spring Training. He didn't have previous big league experience, but he took his opportunity and ran with it. Sure to be a top 3 finisher in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, Baldwin slashed .274/.341/.469 with 19 homers in 124 games, accumulating 3.3 bWAR. He has left the Braves with a decision to make regarding their future at the position, and would give the Twins a very nice catching tandem if he were to slot in next to Ryan Jeffers.
Miami Marlins: Eury Pérez, SP, Age 22
Notable Ineligibles: Sandy Alcántara
The Marlins have a nice core of young talent, which made for some intriguing options here. Kyle Stowers, Agustín Ramírez, Xavier Edwards, and Otto Lopez all look like they could be solid lineup options for years to come. Edward Cabrera, Max Meyer, and Ryan Weathers all look like long-term rotation pieces. However, the most exciting choice was Eury Pérez.
The 22-year-old just completed his second big league season, returning nicely from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for all of 2024. In 20 starts this season, Pérez posted a 4.25 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP with 105 strikeouts and 32 walks in 95.1 innings. He has looked every bit like a guy who has the ability to develop into a frontline starter, especially considering the experience he is building at the big league level at just 22 years old. Pérez would slot into the middle of the Twins' rotation, somewhere behind Joe Ryan and Pablo López, adding to the talented group of young starters that also includes Zebby Matthews, Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, and others.
New York Mets: Nolan McLean, SP, Age 24
Notable Ineligibles: Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo
Those three listed above sure would be fun, but if my math is correct, those three make about $8 trillion per season. Wait, maybe that's a little high. But they did make about as much as the entire Twins roster this season. Anyways, there's still some other interesting names here, such as David Peterson, Noah Tong, Francisco Alvarez, and Brett Baty. However, Nolan McLean is the pick.
There may be a little bit of recency bias in play here, but that's okay. McLean has looked like the real deal ever since being called up in mid-August. In 8 starts, the right-hander threw 48 innings to the tune of a 2.06 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts to just 16 walks. Prior to his call-up, McLean was one of the most highly regarded pitching prospects in baseball, and he's looked every part of that to this point. He would slot into the Twins' rotation in roughly the same spot that was mentioned for Pérez earlier, giving the Twins another strong young right-hander.
Philadephia Phillies: Christopher Sánchez, SP, Age 28
Notable Ineligibles: Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner
The Phillies were a fun one, even after removing the four superstars who all make a lot more money than we are allowed to take on in this exercise. One fun little note is that when I was originally drafting this series, I had Mick Abel written down as one to consider for the Phillies, and he is obviously now a member of the Twins' organization. Beyond that, Jesús Luzardo and Andrew Painter were a pair of names that were tough to turn down, and I even mulled over a return of Jhoan Duran, but ultimately, I couldn't pass up Christopher Sánchez.
Sánchez, 28, will likely be a top 3 finisher for the NL Cy Young this season, and for good reason. After a breakout season in 2024, he was on an entirely different level this season. Sánchez made 32 starts, totaling 202 innings with a 2.50 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 212 strikeouts to 44 walks, while also allowing just 12 homers. The unbelievable season was good for an 8.0 bWAR, the best in Major League Baseball. He has established himself as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, and is also on an incredibly team-friendly contract. Slotting Sanchez in ahead of López and Ryan would give the Twins one of the best rotations in baseball, if not the very best.
Washington Nationals: James Wood, LF, Age 23
Notable Ineligibles: None
This one wasn't too terribly difficult a decision. The Nationals aren't exactly exploding with talent right now, as is evidenced by their 96 losses this season. The next closest guy in consideration was MacKenzie Gore, but James Wood is just too great a talent to pass up on.
Wood looks like he's going to be a middle-of-the-lineup bat and a perennial All-Star for the next decade. He slowed down a touch in the second half of this season, but the talent is very clear. Wood finished his first full big league season with a slash line of .256/.350/.475, homering 31 times in 157 games. There's some work to do defensively, but the bat looks like it'll make up for the glove just fine until that part of his game comes around. Wood would make Trevor Larnach and/or Matt Wallner expendable for the Twins, slotting in as a part of their outfield long-term alongside Byron Buxton and Walker Jenkins.