GOAT (baseball/football)

Interesting take indeed and I like to speculate on this. It definitely is apples to oranges and one of the main things is baseball doesn't have a clear MVP position like football does. Starting pitchers or the "ace" would be the closest and in the early days, your best pitcher could also be your best hitter a la Babe Ruth.

If you look at the player that has been the closest to this mark you've outlined, Barry Bonds, he was more valuable to the team than any of the pitchers, and the Giants had some good ones. If, say Bonds was as clean and right headed as Brees is, and the steroid era wasn't a thing, I think, without a doubt, most would call him the greatest. Not only was Bonds the greatest home run hitter, but before (and during) his bulk stage, he was a perennial gold glove outfielder and is still the only member of the 500/500 club (500hr, 500 stolen bases).

Like Brees, he has a lot of records, but the speculative steroid use and his personality while playing have him dismissed by most as a legit record holder. Brees on the other-hand, gives no reason to doubt his successes and the records he's broken. On top of that, Brees has won a championship and Bonds never did. So I am right there with you and have been these past 10 years wondering why Brees is left off the conversation almost entirely.

Also, when looking at articles about greatest (insert sport other than football) player, they make a note to look at individual performance over team performance. Exhibit A HERE.