Major League Baseball

MLB Cyber Monday: Building the Best Team Money Could Buy

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:38 p.m. ET

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David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

In baseball, we fail to ever see groups of superstars plan ahead to play together on the same team. While there are MLB powerhouses, we have never truly seen that caliber of super-stardom like in the NBA.

With 25 men on every big league roster, it is hard for a team to put together a squad full of superstars. Sure, there are always big spenders like the Dodgers and Yankees, but for the most part they must find balance. No team can gut the free agent market, and offer lump sums of money to any player they want. This causes more competitive play, and gives the audience variety when it comes to World Series champions.

However, what if we could forget financial constraints and build the best possible team in the majors like it’s MLB: The Show? Granted, everyone’s “dream team” would have different players in it. Guys like Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw are shoo-ins for everyone, but positions like shortstop or first base can be toss ups. Also, we must avoid picking one-year wonders for this superteam. As much as I love Mark Trumbo, he hasn’t consistently showed himself to be the power hitter he can be year in and year out. Consistent players, the ones that always perform and always engrave their status as superstars is what this team is all about. If this was an all-MLB team, well, this would be mine.

Granted, there are going to be discrepancies with who I choose to include and exclude. This process is entirely subjective, differing for every fan. However, if I was playing MLB: The Show and had free rein to do what I wanted, this would be what I would do. So, on the national internet shopping day of America, let’s look at the best baseball team that money could buy.

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Starting Rotation

1.) Clayton Kershaw

2.) Max Scherzer

3.) Chris Sale

4.) Jake Arrieta

5.) Noah Syndergaard

A solid veteran starting rotation with the inclusion of the young phenom Noah Syndergaard is the route I would take. These five men rank 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 26th in Wins Above Replacement the last three seasons. Statistically, there are better options in Corey Kluber or David Price, but this is a starting rotation that seems to be put together perfectly. Sure, Syndergaard is the elephant in the room at 26th, but he led the league in WAR last season striking out 218 batters in only 183.2 innings. I know I stressed consistency, but with how young and naturally talented Syndergaard is, it is hard to ignore his inclusion.

As for the rest, it was pretty easy to choose for my liking. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher on the planet, and was on his way to his 4th Cy Young award if it wasn’t for injury. Kershaw had a 15.64 K/BB ratio last season, meaning for every walk he issued he had 15.64 strikeouts. Scherzer, the second arm of our rotation, may be the best right-handed pitcher in the game right now. Despite his high amount of home runs allowed, Scherzer has dominated batters. Leading the league with 284 strikeouts with a 2.96 ERA is quite phenomenal.

As for Sale and Arrieta, the two just have something special. Sale has that “it” factor, and if he can be put on a contending team we could very well see him become one of if not the best in baseball. Arrieta, although having a down year for his standards, has been undeniably dominant in recent years. After an amazing run in 2015, Arrieta cemented himself as one of the best arms in baseball. If I were to build the best team money could buy, these arms would be the top current options. Also, we are going to skip over the bullpen aspect of the team. With so many dominant left- and right-handers, there is a plethora of options to fill out a bullpen.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Infield

C: Jonathan Lucroy

1B: Miguel Cabrera

2B: Jose Altuve

3B: Kris Bryant

SS: Corey Seager

This infield is relatively young, with the only exception to the youth movement being Miguel Cabrera. Overall, this infield is a nice blend of contact, power and fielding. Jonathan Lucroy was a Gold Glove finalist, and outside of Cabrera the infield has solid ability. Lucroy provides fielding with hitting, Cabrera is still one of the best pure hitters in baseball, Altuve and Seager provide pure hitting ability with speed, and Kris Bryant is the anchor of the lineup.

Jonathan Lucroy and Miguel Cabrera are often overlooked, in my opinion. Lucroy was leaps and bounds the best hitting catcher in the big leagues, and arguably should have won a Gold Glove. It honestly was a real toss up between him and Buster Posey. However, the talk that Posey may move to first keeps Lucroy as our man behind the dish. As for Cabrera, I think we have just become numb to his greatness. He posted yet another fantastic season, a season that honestly got completely overlooked. Out of first basemen, Cabrera had the second best average, third most home runs, and fourth most runs batted in.

The middle infield pairing is a solid one. Altuve proved to us yet again that size doesn’t matter and put together a MVP caliber year. Batting .347 with 24 homers and 30 stolen bases, Altuve showed he can do it all. Sure, one could make a case for Daniel Murphy, but the higher walk rate and speed factor of Altuve gives him the advantage. As for Seager, I do have bias, but he proved to be one of the best young players in the game. Seager by far put together the best offensive numbers for a shortstop in the league, and paired that with underrated fielding. The holes that other shortstops have Seager seems to have a solution for, which makes him our shortstop.

As for Bryant, well, I don’t need to say much. He was the best player in the National League and overtook Josh Donaldson as the best third baseman in the game. Nobody can argue with 39 home runs, 102 runs batted in, and a .292 batting average.

Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Outfield

LF: Mike Trout

CF: Kevin Kiermaier

RF: Mookie Betts

I know, right off the bat one of these names jumps out, but hear me out. First off, the move to make Mike Trout a left fielder may not be popular, but it is wise. Trout is a decent fielder, with speed and athletic ability being his strong suits. However, he seems more naturally fit as a left fielder. With his arm strength perhaps being his only slight downfall, left field would suit him perfectly. That allows the shocker, Kiermaier, to play center field and for Mookie Betts to patrol right field.