MLB farm system rankings for every team after winter meetings – USA TODAY

The MLB winter meetings may be a week behind us at this point, but that means we’re a week closer to the start of the MLB season. With pitchers and catchers reporting as soon as early-to-mid February, that unmistakable whiff of baseball air is starting to sneak into our atmosphere.
In the meantime, though, there is still much more to be done as teams prepare for the season. High-end free agents are still running amok. Teams with elite talent may be looking to sell some of their players for a better prospect pool as well. However, that can be a dangerous game. Failure to maintain your farm system can lead to years of mediocrity and devastation for an MLB franchise.
On the flip side, having a great farm system is one of the best positions to be in. Your fanbase knows better days are ahead, and they merely have to wait for the chickens to roost. Teams with great farms in recent years like the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles have taken massive leaps lately and have vaulted themselves into playoff contention.
Here is the post-winter meetings farm system ranking for every team in Major League Baseball.
MLB News:Cody Bellinger trade is latest big move since Juan Soto exit
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
*All top prospect rankings are provided by MLB.com
Top 5 prospects:
When two of your top-five prospects missed significant time due to injuries and/or PEDs, you’re not in a good position. Thankfully, the Blue Jays were able to add some talent at the deadline last year in the Yusei Kikuchi trade, but not enough to keep them out of the basement.
Top 5 prospects:
It feels like Jasson Dominguez has been this team’s top prospect for forever, but every time he gets an opportunity to shine, he gets hurt or fails to live up to the hype. He’s really the only good thing the Yankees’ farm has going for it lately, and there isn’t much reason to feel confident in him right now. The power he has in his swing is remarkable though.
Top 5 prospects:
The Braves rely heavily on developing arms to maintain their success at the Major League level. However, none of their pitching prospects are that eye-popping with only two players cracking the top-100 prospects list and none cracking the top-90.
Like I said though, the Braves are known for developing arms and given that their top-three prospects are all pitchers, these guys could make a splash in Atlanta when their times come.
Top 5 prospects:
Remember when everyone agreed that the Astros overpaid for Yusei Kikuchi at the trade deadline last year? Well, this is the result.
The Astros are leaning on breakouts and high-velocity arms like Miguel Ullola to carry their prospect pool over the next few years, and that’s a very shaky foundation.
Top 5 prospects:
Unfortunately for the Giants, the only proven talent in their farm system is Eldridge. Outside of him, the Giants are banking on draft picks James Tibbs III and Dakota Jordan to live up to their draft stock, and that Whisenhunt can regain some of the command he lost last year. That’s too many question marks for a team looking to compete in a tough NL West.
Top 5 prospects:
A year ago, Nelson Rada was the Angels only compelling prospect, and even he wasn’t that intriguing. But the Angels have done a tremendous job building their farm system up quickly without any major trades at the MLB level.
Christian Moore was the big addition in the draft, and thanks to a breakout campaign from Caden Dana, the Angels could have a solid future ahead of them.
Top 5 prospects:
While the A’s only boast two top-100 prospects, there is a chance that this group of players becomes one of the most talented in the league. The A’s have done a tremendous job at developing players as of late. Lawrence Butler and Mason Miller were obviously tremendous contributors to the team a season ago.
Jacob Wilson might be the best pure contact hitter in the minors, and Kurtz is an absolute slugger, who’s making quick work through the minor leagues.
Top 5 prospects:
Jordan Lawlar, ranked No. 9 overall by MLB, is the only reason that the Diamondbacks rank this high, but even Lawlar has his question marks. Most notably, can Lawlar’s game-breaking speed and pop translate at the Major League level?
Lawlar has only played 28 career games at Triple-A, and while he has dominated in that time, he’s played half as many games at the Major League level, and he failed to make any sort of impact. The entire Diamondbacks’ farm system is banking on Lawlar to succeed at the Major League level, but we’ve seen too many players whose greatest attribute is their speed fall apart when they reach the bigs.
Top 5 prospects:
While the Royals did trade away a few talented prospects in Cayden Wallace and Mason Barnett to improve their bullpen at the deadline last year, they were still able to hold onto their top guys. Unfortunately, the Royals just don’t have any names that pop off the screen aside from Caglianone, who struggled in his limited time in A+ last year.
Top 5 prospects:
The Marlins boast a very deep farm system but lack any terrifying talent outside of White. White is undoubtedly tremendous, and his 2.81 ERA between time at Single and High-A last year backs that up, but he’s still years away from joining the team and the Marlins don’t have anyone else near his level ready to make the trip to South Beach.
Top 5 prospects:
The Brewers only have three top-100 prospects and none within the top-40. That said, there is hope for this team moving forward. Jacob Misiorowski might be the most underappreciated prospect in baseball right now. He has yet to struggle at any professional level, posting a 2.55 ERA in 17.2 innings at Triple-A a year ago, all while striking out over 11 batters per nine innings. He’s been remarkably consistent throughout his time in the minor leagues, and could be ready to join the Brewers in 2025.
Top 5 prospects:
Salas and De Vries are two of the best prospects in all of baseball. Then, the Padres’ system takes a nosedive off a cliff and into an erupting volcano. That’s thanks in large part to their decisions to trade away Robby Snelling, Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee, and more last season.
This team’s farm is thin. Paper thin, but the incredible talent of Salas and De Vries keeps them in the top-20.
Top 5 prospects:
2024 was the year that most of Baltimore’s top prospects reached the big leagues. However, that doesn’t mean they’ve lost all their talent in their farm.
Coby Mayo is the big name on this list, and although he struggled in minimal time with the Orioles a season ago, he’s proven himself talented enough to adapt once he gets more consistent playtime. Samuel Basallo is also a promising talent with great pop and plate discipline.
Top 5 prospects:
The Rangers need pitching. That’s obvious, so you can bet your bottom dollar that the team is ecstatic to have three of their top-four prospects on the mound.
However, their pitching depth goes deeper than that with other talented youngsters like Emiliano Teodo and Winston Santos waiting in the wings.
Top 5 prospects:
Although breakout seasons from Chandler Simpson, Tre’ Morgan, and Gary Gill Hill have the Rays higher on most people’s lists, there’s a reason that the Rays only have three top-100 prospects and none of the names I just mentioned crack that list.
Frankly, we haven’t seen enough from most of the Rays’ young talents to warrant a higher spot, and none of their top-100 prospects have serious experience in Triple-A, meaning there is a chance none of the Rays’ game-changing prospects join the club in 2025.
Top 5 prospects:
Everybody knows that Jimmy Crooks (2022) and Quinn Matthews (2023) were steals in their draft classes. Lo and behold, the pair have been very solid in the minors. If 2024 draftee JJ Wetherholt can also turn into a stud, the Cardinals could have one of the safest floors of any farm system in MLB. Still looking for that one prospect that raises their ceiling exponentially though.
Top 5 prospects:
Outside of De Paula and Rushing, the Dodgers’ top prospects change every year it seems, with new studs popping up in the lower levels. However, the lack of a consistent No. 3 prospect keep them this low. Perhaps 2024 international signee Emil Morales, who slashed .342/.478/.691 in the Dominican Summer League could be that man.
Top 5 prospects:
The Twins’ farm system is lifted heavily by No. 2 overall prospect Walker Jenkins. Behind him, the Twins are a little lackluster, with only two other prospects in the top-100 and only one other prospect in the top-50. Still, Rodriguez and Jenkins are two of the most promising position players in the minors, warranting a spot in the top-15 on our list.
Top 5 prospects:
The Colorado Rockies have been going B-A-N-A-N-A-S with their draft picks lately, but given that most of that talent they acquired in the draft is still years and years away from playing for the big league club, there is a chance that more than a few of these guys fail to pan out.
Still, the ceiling for this group of prospects is remarkable.
Top 5 prospects:
Miller, Painter, and Crawford were each drafted out of high school yet have shown no signs of slowing down when faced with professional competition. They are all young, proven against minor league foes, and with Painter likely ready to join the Phillies major league club, the team will have a steady influx of young talent for the next few years.
Unfortunately, there is a drop-off in talent following Tait as none of the Phillies’ next top prospects like Jean Cabrera (strikeout rate dropped from 10.6 in A+ to 5.8 in Double-A) or Seth Johnson (34.71 ERA in 2.1 innings pitched with Phillies) have proven themselves ready to advance to the next levels.
Top 5 prospects:
This Mets farm system was supposed to turn heads in 2024, but disappointing seasons from many of their top prospects saw them fall down rankings. Injuries played a big part in New York’s minor league downfall last year, but if guys like Jett Williams and Ronny Mauricio can stay healthy, then perhaps the Mets could see themselves rise into the top-5.
Top 5 prospects:
Pitching is undoubtedly the most important thing in baseball, and the Reds have the best prospect tandem in MLB. Lowder and Burns were each top-ten draft picks in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and Lowder has already reached the Major League level, posting a 1.40 ERA in over 25 innings with Cincinnati.
Yes, there is a drop-off after these two, but they are so good and so ready for MLB play that placing this organization any lower than here would be disrespectful.
Top 5 prospects:
This group of prospects is undoubtedly carried by Dylan Crews being the No. 1 overall prospect. However, the next three names on the list are no slouches either.
While House could work on his plate discipline (posted a .297 OBP in 2024) and both Susana and Sykora still have a ways to go until they reach the majors, each of them has immense promise and could reach the big league club just in time for the team’s rebuild to be complete.
Top 5 prospects:
While Paul Skenes is no longer a prospect, the Pirates haven’t lost much in their farm system with Chandler, Harrington, and Ashcraft likely all set to play for Pittsburgh in 2025. Each of them is immensely talented, and posted sub-4 ERAs in Triple-A a season ago. That said, if Ashcraft could improve slightly in the strikeout department, his stock would increase dramatically.
Top 5 prospects:
This farm system is young, but boy is it talented. Just a year ago, the Guardians could only really boast Kyle Manzardo and Chase DeLauter, but with Travis Bazzana in the mix alongside Chourio Velazquez, and Genao – each of whom is 20 years old or younger – the Guardians could very well be at the top of these rankings by this time next year.
Top 5 prospects:
There’s no denying that the Seattle Mariners’ prospect pool may have the highest ceiling of any organization in MLB. They enjoyed arguably the two biggest breakouts of the season last year with Montes and 2B Michael Arroyo combining for a 1.791 OPS last year.
However, there hasn’t been quite enough longevity for these prospects to warrant a higher spot on the rankings. There’s a reason that Montes still barely cracks the top-50 in MLB’s prospect rankings. There’s a reason that Arroyo is still outside the top-100 altogether. Furthermore, each of the Mariners’ top-5 prospects has yet to play in Triple-A, meaning the team still has to wait a year or two before their wave of talent reaches the majors.
Top 5 prospects:
Prior to the Garrett Crochet trade, the Red Sox would’ve almost certainly been No. 1 on this list. Still, despite trading away a decent amount of talent in that deal, the Red Sox maintained each of their top-three prospects, each of whom rank in the top-10 overall in MLB.
The biggest problem with the Red Sox farm system now is the subtle lack of depth. Yoeilin Cespedes is a shaky No. 5, given his lingering hamate bone injury that kept him sidelined for a good chunk of last season, and the fact that he has only ever played in rookie ball. He’s mashing there, sure, but there is still a lot of time left before he approaches the bigs.
Top 5 prospects:
While the addition of Cody Poteet in the Cody Bellinger trade doesn’t didn’t do much for the Cubs’ farm system, their prospects were already incredible as is.
What’s most exciting though is the fact that each of their top-five prospects as well as others like Kevin Alcantara each have experience in Triple-A, meaning the Cubs have a large wave of young talent headed to Wrigley very soon.
Top 5 prospects:
While the White Sox didn’t do much at last year’s trade deadline, despite being the most obvious sellers in the history of baseball, they’ve done a great job of adding farm talent during the offseason.
The Garrett Crochet trade netted the White Sox two of their top-5 prospects, and the team still has some stellar talent off their top-5 with the likes of C Edgar Quero and LHP Ky Bush waiting in the wings. With six prospects in the MLB Top 100, the White Sox are tied for the most in MLB. Unfortunately, their best prospect is only ranked 16th, compared to the No. 1 team on our list having two members in the top-10.
Top 5 prospects:
It’s always a good feeling when you bolster your farm system by trading away a solid rotational piece like Jack Flaherty, garnering you solid prospects like Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney, yet you still make the playoffs and win a series.
The Detroit Tigers have a lot going right for them currently. As long as MLB’s top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe can maintain his success he’s experienced in the minors when he reaches the show, the Tigers could very well boast the best rotation in baseball, with a flurry of young, promising hitters waiting in the wings.

source