A couple years ago, SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee took a look at what every MLB team would look like if free agency and trades did not exist. It’s an interesting exercise for looking into a team’s ability to develop MLB-caliber talent across all positions.
While a team can patch up weak spots via free agency or trade (for instance, the 2016 St. Louis Cardinals that Brisbee recreated in this exercise could no longer include free agent signing Mike Leake, trade acquisition Adam Wainwright, or little-of-both-columns Matt Holliday), this examines a team’s capacity for homegrown talent rather bluntly.