Do-overs: One player each MLB team would like to bring back

In the franchise’s relatively brief history, perhaps the D-backs' biggest misstep came via undervaluing the potential of future three-time Cy Young winner at an early stage of his career. He ultimately made 46 starts over two years in Arizona but was traded as part of a three-way deal that saw Curtis Granderson make his way to the Yankees and Ian Kennedy come to Arizona. Kennedy won 21 games in 2011 for Arizona, while Scherzer has won over 140 games since leaving the club and become the best pitcher in baseball.

While the club has dealt away a pair of All-Star shortstops in the last 11 years in Elvis Andrus and Andrelton Simmons, the biggest loss of the last 20 years has been Wainwright. The team moved the future All-Star starter in exchange for J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero in a deal that saw Jason Marquis, Ray King and the then-21-year-old minor leaguer to the Cardinals. Wainwright went on to finish in the top three of NL Cy Young voting four times between 2009 and 2013 and win two World Series in St. Louis.

The Orioles have made trading promising young pitching a somewhat notorious habit. Jake Arrieta and Eduardo Rodriguez are counted among the prospects they have dealt for underwhelming returns, but Hader could be the most dominant reliever in the game already in his young career. Considering that the Orioles own a 4.94 team ERA over the past two years, the presence of an arm similar to the lights-out lefty's is desperately needed.

Rizzo was originally drafted by Boston in the sixth round of the 2007 draft and spent four years in the Red Sox system before being dealt to the Padres in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez in 2010. Now a three-time All-Star, Rizzo’s bat at the core of a lineup with Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts would be a scary thing.

The Cubs have certainly distributed their fair share of talent around the league in pursuit of that previously elusive title, with Chris Archer, DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres among the team's former farmhands. However, the greatest almost-Cub stands as Donaldson, who became a perennial MVP candidate in Oakland and Toronto. He was a catcher in the Chicago system in 2007 before being tossed into a trade that brought back Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin.

Before establishing himself as a dependable MLB starter, Gonzalez bounced around regularly as minor league trade chip. He was not once, but twice a part of the White Sox organization in his early years. After being the club’s first-round pick in 2004, he was traded to the Phillies as part of a deal for Jim Thome in 2005 before returning to the Sox 363 days later for Freddy Garcia.

Considering that the Reds once traded away three future All-Stars in one deal when they included Yasmani Grandal, Yonder Alonso and Brad Boxberger in one swap for Mat Latos, this says plenty about how good Gregorius has become. Gregorius played only eight games with the Reds before being dealt away to the Diamondbacks and eventually becoming Derek Jeter's successor in the Bronx. He has since become one of the best all-around shortstops in an era where there are plenty to choose from.

The starting staff of the Indians has been the envy of many over the past few years, owning the lowest ERA in the American League since 2016. Now imagine if the ultra-talented Archer remained with the organization that selected him in the fifth round of the 2006 Amateur Draft? Archer, who has been an All-Star twice and has averaged 244 strikeouts a year since 2016, alongside Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and company would arguably be the game’s most dominant rotation of the decade.

The Rockies originally drafted the Florida native in the 21^st round of the 2007 Amateur Draft but likely had no idea that he would become the six-time All-Star and two-time AL strikeout king he did. Coming out of high school, Sale was a much different player than he became during his time at Florida Gulf Coast University. He grew five inches and added over 10 miles per hour to his fastball as a collegiate athlete, which bumped him up 20 rounds in three years and into the hands of the White Sox by 2010.

After 21 appearances with the Tigers, Miller became the centerpiece return for the Marlins in the trade that landed the club Miguel Cabrera in 2008. While the cost was certainly worth the return, it still has to be tough to be saddled with facing their former top prospect regularly in Cleveland now. Miller owns a 2.70 ERA and averages 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings against since leaving town.

While arguably no team trots out as much talent daily as the Astros do, there are still a few valuable pieces that got away amid their rebuilding effort of the past few years. Chiefly among those stands Villar, whom the Brewers landed in exchange for minor leaguer Cy Sneed in November 2015. Villar has since stolen 94 bases as a versatile infielder for Brewers, bringing elite speed that even the potent Astros do not have at their disposal.

Amid the rebuild that would send them to consecutive World Series in 2014 and 2015, the Royals knew there would come a prospect cost to continue their ascent in the American League. Thus, the decision was made to send the promising power of Myers to Tampa in exchange for James Shields and Wade Davis in 2012. Myers went on to become AL Rookie of the Year in Tampa and an All-Star by 2016 with San Diego.

The Angels' starting pitching has been among the most injury-plagued in baseball over the last few years so it would be nice to have the likes of Corbin on hand at times, as he has developed into one of the better left-handed pitchers in the game since being dealt away as part of the trade that brought Dan Haren to Anaheim from Arizona in 2010. Corbin was an NL All-Star in 2013 and is averaging over 11 strikeouts per nine innings thus far in 2018.

Coming out of high school, the Dodgers selected not only future No. 1 overall pick and Cy Young Award winner David Price in the 14^th round in 2004, but also Goldschmidt in the 49^th round two years later. Both opted to head to college instead of the Dodgers' system, but the edge for the biggest "what if" goes to Goldschmidt, who has become a regular NL West nemesis with the Diamondbacks instead. Goldschmidt has finished in the top three of NL MVP voting three times since 2013.

The Marlins made Gonzalez the No. 1 overall pick in 2000, and he spent over three years in the Florida system. Before he could reach the majors, however, Gonzalez was dealt away to the Rangers as part of a deal for closer Ugueth Urbina. He has gone on to become one of the most productive top picks in history with over 2,000 hits, 300 home runs and 1,200 RBI, along with four Gold Glove Awards and becoming a five-time All-Star.

The oft-mentioned "player to be named later" gets the rap as a toss-in part of many deals, but Brantley proved to be much more than that. After becoming the final piece the Brewers sent to Cleveland to acquire CC Sabathia at the trade deadline in 2010, Brantley has hit .294 over 10 years with the Tribe, become a two-time All-Star and was an MVP finalist in 2014.

Judging by the player he has become since, it is hard to believe that Springer was once a 48^th-round pick of the Twins out of high school. His decision to head to the University of Connecticut was a smart one, as he went on to become the 11^th overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Astros. Through the first five years of his career, he has become an All-Star, Silver Slugger winner and, of course, World Series MVP.

Although the Mets were Turner’s third MLB stop, the fact that he has gone on to become one of baseball’s most productive players immediately after the team released him in the winter of 2013 makes it that much more damning. Turner has accounted for over 18 win shares for the Dodgers since leaving New York.

The Yankees are never shy about dealing prospects in the name of getting the job done immediately, but perhaps giving Melancon a bit more time could have saved them a lot of coin. The future relief ace was sent to Houston in exchange for Lance Berkman after only 20 MLB innings. He has gone on to notch 179 career saves and become a three-time All-Star for the Pirates (after the Astros prematurely dealt him to the Red Sox as well — and they did the same).

Gonzalez was twice dealt as a minor leaguer for existing MLB All-Stars — first Dan Haren, followed by Matt Holliday. It was the second deal from Oakland that really stings, as Holliday soon was dealt to the Cardinals for an insignificant return, while CarGo went on to hit over 200 home runs for the Rockies and became a batting champion for Colorado.

The Phillies paid the price to bring Jake Arrieta to town over the winter, as their rebuilding effort desperately needed a front-line arm. Once upon a time, their system had one in the making. Carrasco was originally signed by the club as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela. However, he was dealt to Cleveland in exchange for Cliff Lee in 2009 and has since gone on to help headline the Indians' rotation.

The Bucs not only had Bautista within their clutches once, but twice. He was originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the 20^th round in 2000, but they lost him to the Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft three years later. In 2004, Pittsburgh acquired him again, only to trade him once more to the Blue Jays for Kris Benson and Jeff Keppinger. Of course, his star turn awaited in Canada, as he became a six-time All-Star, twice leading the AL in long balls with 54 and 43 in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

The Cardinals selected Scherzer in the 43rd round of the 2003 amateur draft out of Parkway Central High School in St. Louis. The local product instead opted to take his talents elsewhere locally, namely the University of Missouri. He became a first-round selection following his career there, and the rest is history in the making.

Originally a fourth-round pick in 2007 by the Padres, the club included Kluber as part of a threeway trade with the Cardinals and Indians built around Jake Westbrook going to St. Louis and Ryan Ludwick heading to San Diego. The loss here has been a substantial one, as Kluber has gone on to become a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner while the Padres' perpetual rebuild remains without an ace pitcher.

San Francisco tossed Liriano into a deal that sent himself and Joe Nathan to the Twins in exchange for A.J. Pierzynski. While injuries prevented Liriano from fully realizing the promise he showed early in his career in Minnesota, he has continued to be a very productive pitcher throughout his career. Liriano headlined the rotation during three consecutive postseason runs by the Pirates before winning a World Series with the Astros a year ago.

Hungry for pitching, the Mariners included Jones in a package of five players shipped to Baltimore in exchange for Erik Bedard before the 2008 season. Jones made his first of five All-Star appearances two years later and became a four-time Gold Glove winner, with seven consecutive years of 25+ home runs. Meanwhile, the Mariners have struggled to find consistent production in center field, while Bedard delivered only 15 wins over three years in Seattle.

Back in 2014, the Rays landed recent first-round pick Trea Turner from San Diego as part of a nine-player deal that also brought them Wil Myers. However, they quickly decided to flip him along with pitcher Joe Ross to Washington to fill an immediate need by getting OF Steven Souza Jr. Since, Souza has struggled to live up to expectations and is now in Arizona, while Turner has become the baseball's most dangerous speed threat as both a shortstop and center fielder in his young career.

The Rangers have given up virtually all of their homegrown talent over the last decade, as they have perpetually been a part of the AL West race and looking to bulk up at the deadline. Hendricks is one prospect they could use back the most now, as he has gone on to lead the National League in ERA once, helping the Cubs to a World Series victory in 2016. Over 112 career starts, Hendricks owns a 3.01 ERA, while the Texas pitching staff has been a patchwork effort of late.

The Jays also once briefly held the rights to future NL MVP Kris Bryant, who opted to head to college after being the club’s 18^th-round pick in 2010, but Syndergaard is truly the one who got away. The team selected the ace in the first round of that same 2010 draft. The man who would become "Thor" had already shown his penchant for strikeouts in the lower rungs of the Toronto system when he was dealt to the Mets as a part of the deal to bring reigning Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to Toronto ahead of the 2013 season.

Ray did not spend long with the Nationals. He was traded twice as a minor leaguer before his breakthrough with the Diamondbacks in 2014, but it is scary to think about how much more dominant the Washington rotation would be if Ray had remained with his original club. His presence in the Washington rotation would have given the club three of the top four NL strikeouts-per-nine-innings leaders a year ago alongside Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.