Padres Farm System Shockingly Ranked Among MLB's Worst by Writer

Feb 24, 2024; Peoria, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas looks on against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning of a Spring Training game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Just before the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report updated his Major League Baseball farm system ranking, and the San Diego Padres, surprisingly, found their name near the bottom.

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Coming in at No. 28, the only two teams the Padres ranked below them are the New York Yankees at No. 29 and San Francisco Giants at No. 30.

"If the rumblings of a potential Dylan Cease trade come to fruition before the offseason is over, the Padres will jump up several spots in these rankings before Opening Day," Reuter wrote about the Padres. "For now, it's a thin system aside from prized international signings Leodalis De Vries and Ethan Salas, and that is a result of A.J. Preller's aggressiveness on the trade market."

Reuter ranked the top 10 prospects for each club based on a unique set of factors.

Top-tier prospects with elite skills and the potential to become All-Stars. These players represent the best of the best and are featured on B/R's Top 100 prospect list this offseason.

The second tier is comprised of high-potential prospects with a strong likelihood of becoming impactful MLB contributors. These players were considered for B/R's Top 100 list and could make the cut in the future as they continue to develop.

Prospects in the third tier are typically seen as borderline MLB contributors or younger players who remain too unpolished to project at a higher level. While this tier represents a large portion of prospects across the league, several have the potential to develop further and move up to the next tier.

"Teams were ranked based on the cumulative tier ranking total of their top 10 prospects, and the rankings were then subjectively tweaked from there," according to Reuter.

Top 10 Prospects

1. SS Leodalis De Vries (Tier 1)
2. C Ethan Salas (Tier 1)
3. LHP Kash Mayfield (Tier 2)
4. RHP Victor Lizarraga (Tier 3)
5. RHP Isaiah Lowe (Tier 3)
6. LHP Boston Bateman (Tier 3)
7. RHP Humberto Cruz (Tier 3)
8. OF Kavares Tears (Tier 3)
9. 1B Romeo Sanabria (Tier 3)
10. RHP Henry Baez (Tier 3)

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