EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsAs we head toward the final weeks of the 2026 MLB season, it's time for my ranking of the core talent of all 30 teams. This judges organizations based on which players they have under contract through the next two full seasons -- and you'll find many teams at the top of this list are in the thick of the playoff races over the final month.For this exercise, salaries don't matter and age isn't a factor -- but I'll round up on projecting young players (and down on older players) because I'm projecting/ranking teams for a two-plus-year period. Very few players in either level of A-ball are listed because they probably will contribute only at the end of 2028, if at all, even if they're a top prospect.To make it easier to see which team has more talent, I split players into three tiers: elite (5ish WAR talent, or perennial All-Stars with MVP chances), plus (3-5ish WAR types) and solid (1.5-3ish WAR, or lower-end starters and valuable role players). I included players who have easy-to-hit vesting options or club/player options that are likely to be picked up, but left out players with likely-to-be-exercised opt-outs or mutual options (which are basically never exercised). There's some subjectivity here and star players who don't qualify are normally mentioned in the blurb.Players are listed in general order of my preference within each tier, so you can argue a player who's on the top/bottom of a tier should move up or down or flip two players who are back-to-back in the same tier. And the overall ranking isn't coming from an algorithm that judges the teams or their players in each tier -- I'm still comparing each list one by one. It's often hard to compare the next 2 years of value of a prospect in Double-A versus a proven veteran having a down season.1. Los Angeles Dodgers2025 rank: 12024 rank: 12023 rank: 22022 rank: 3Elite: Shohei Ohtani DH/RHP, Yoshinobu Yamamoto/RHPPlus: Andy Pages/CF, Max Muncy/3B, Mookie Betts/SS, Will Smith/CSolid: Blake Snell/LHP, Kyle Tucker/LF, Tommy Edman/2B, Edgardo Henriquez/RHP, Tyler Glasnow/RHP, Emmet Sheehan/RHP, Josue De Paula/LF, Mike Sirota/CF, Dalton Rushing/C, Tanner Scott/LHP, Justin Wrobleski/LHP, Edwin Diaz/RHP, Roki Sasaki/RHP, Jack Dreyer/RHP, Eduardo Quintero/CF, Emil Morales/SS, Christian Zazueta/RHP, Charles Davalan/LF, Zach Root/LHP, James Tibbs/RFYes, they're still the top team and they have a little bit of everything. There's depth of elite players, even if some of those players are showing age or are often injured for half the season. There's high salary players along with young players or one that will be up at some point next season. There are pitchers and position players, steady veterans and more erratic types.The Dodgers are showing some cracks with their aging core, but they are supplementing it and keeping this fresh enough to stay on top, though the Brewers are giving them a run for their money on core, farm rankings, and for the best team in baseball, all for much cheaper.2. Milwaukee Brewers2025 rank: 132024 rank: 172023 rank: 212022 rank: 12Elite: Jacob Misiorowski/RHPPlus: Brice Turang/2B, Jackson Chourio/LF, Garrett Mitchell/CFSolid: Jesus Made/SS, Cooper Pratt/SS, Logan Henderson/RHP, Luis Pena/SS, Aaron Ashby/LHP, Kyle Harrison/LHP, Joey Ortiz/SS, Braylon Payne/CF, Luis Lara/CF, Christian Yelich/DH, Jett Williams/SS, Abner Uribe/RHP, Shane Drohan/LHP, Robert Gasser/LHP, Brady Ebel/SS, Tyson Hardin/RHP, Jeferson Quero/C, Bishop Letson/RHP, Josh Adamczewski/LF, Josh Knoth/RHP, Andrew Fischer/3B, Sal Frelick/RF, Luke Adams/1B, Blake Burke/1BUntil recently, there was one team everyone wished they could be -- the Dodgers -- and now there's the actual team everyone wants to be: the Brewers. They have the deepest list by a good margin because their big league team and upper minors are stuffed with good big leaguers; case in point the minor league leader in homers (Andrew Fischer, with 46) is buried at the bottom of the list.The Brewers don't need high draft picks or the biggest international bonuses or a number of huge dump trades to fuel what they're doing; they are just beating everyone else, consistently, at everything. Nobody can keep this up forever, so appreciate it while it's here.3. Boston Red Sox2025 rank: 72024 rank: 132023 rank: 242022 rank: 24Elite: NonePlus: Payton Tolle/LHP, Willson Contreras/1B, Roman Anthony/LF, Ceddanne Rafaela/CF, Wilyer Abreu/RF, Garrett Crochet/LHPSolid: Ranger Suarez/LHP, Franklin Arias/SS, Jake Bennett/LHP, Jarren Duran/LF, Caleb Durbin/3B, Garrett Whitlock/RHP, Justin Gonzales/RF, Henry Godbout/2B, Brayan Bello/RHPThe Red Sox are stacked in the plus category (and at the top of the solid category), with a number of established big leaguers and one of the top three prospects in baseball. This is a franchise, along with a few others such as the Padres, that has the true core of the big league team to build around for years ... and then not a whole lot of other players, mostly because the farm system has been used for acquiring more players than just stacking up young players for the sake of it.This base is good enough that Boston's payroll upside can be used to build around the main players rather than have to add to it; an important distinction that often will keep the head of baseball ops from overextending and ending up with a well-underwater free agent contract that undermines the team building process.4. New York Yankees2025 rank: 112024 rank: 122023 rank: 122022 rank: 12Elite: Aaron Judge/RF, Cam Schlittler/RHPPlus: Cody Bellinger/LF, Max Fried/LHP, Ben Rice/1BSolid: Gerrit Cole/RHP, George Lombard Jr./SS, Ryan Weathers/LHP, Carlos Rodon/LHP, Spencer Jones/CF, Anthony Volpe/SS, Brent Headrick/LHP, Jose Caballero/SS, Will Warren/RHP, Fernando Cruz/RHP, Austin Wells/C, Elmer Rodriguez/RHP, Carlos Lagrange/RHPHaving the payroll to keep or sign Judge, Bellinger, Fried, Cole and Rodon obviously makes it easier to rank highly in this exercise. That being said, Rice, Schlittler and Lombard are homegrown, as is Judge, and that's just the star-level talents.There's a mix of things going on here and it's worth noting for cynical fans that there are a lot of ways to spend money and not make the playoffs; the Yankees consistently figure out how to make it, soon to be nine out of the past 10 years.5. Atlanta Braves2025 rank: 52024 rank: 22023 rank: 12022 rank: 1Elite: Chris Sale/LHPPlus: Michael Harris II/CF, Matt Olson/1B, Ronald Acuna Jr./RF, Drake Baldwin/CSolid: Tate Southisene/SS, Eric Hartman/CF, Austin Riley/3B, Dylan Lee/LHP, Didier Fuentes/RHP, Spencer Schwellenbach/RHP, Sean Murphy/C, Conor Essenburg/RF, Cam Caminiti/LHP, JR Ritchie/RHP, Bryce Elder/RHP, Owen Murphy/RHP, Briggs McKenzie/LHP, John Gil/SS, Alex Lodise/SS, Spencer Strider/RHP, Robert Suarez/RHP, Mike Yastrzemski/LF, Grant Holmes/RHPThe Braves' core was the envy of baseball for years, but now Ozzie Albies doesn't have enough control years left to qualify for this exercise and Strider, Schwellenbach, Murphy and Riley have all been injured or regressed.The more things change, the more they stay the same, though: The Braves have an emergent farm system. Southisene might come up to solve the post-Dansby Swanson shortstop problem as soon as next season and Hartman might fill in an outfield spot as the previous core gives way to the next wave. As long as Atlanta doesn't go a few years without a new standout, they should be able to keep this going.6. Chicago Cubs2025 rank: 172024 rank: 82023 rank: 162022 rank: 22Elite: Pete Crow-Armstrong/CFPlus: Alex Bregman/3B, Dansby Swanson/SS, Nico Hoerner/2BSolid: Michael Busch/1B, Pedro Ramirez/2B, Matt Shaw/RF, Ben Brown/RHP, Josiah Hartshorn/RF, Owen Ayers/C, Edward Cabrera/RHP, Cade Horton/RHP, Daniel Palencia/RHP, Ryan Zeferjahn/RHP, Jaxon Wiggins/RHP, Kane Kepley/CF, Ethan Conrad/RF, Justin Steele/LHPCrow-Armstrong has already hit his 99th percentile career outcome and is now a bona fide superstar after some evaluators (myself included) weren't completely convinced by his 5.4 WAR 2025 season due to his .287 on-base percentage and 5% walk rate. That's far in the rearview now.The next few names are big league infielders with so much depth that Shaw can't even get an every-day spot in the infield and Ramirez needed an injury ahead of him to get his spot.Breakout minor league seasons from Hartshorn and Ayers continue to add talent to the pipeline and better health from Steele, Horton, or Cabrera could help further.7. Arizona Diamondbacks2025 rank: 62024 rank: 142023 rank: 132022 rank: 20Elite: Corbin Carroll/RF, Geraldo Perdomo/SSPlus: Gabriel Moreno/C, Ketel Marte/2BSolid: Corbin Burnes/RHP, Ryan Waldschmidt/CF, Juan Morillo/RHP, Brandyn Garcia/LHP, Brandon Pfaadt/RHP, Jordan Lawlar/SS, Demetrio Crisantes/2B, Tommy Troy/CF, Ryne Nelson/RHP, David Hagaman/RHP, LuJames Groover/3BThis core seems pretty stable, with the top three players ranking high for years. It's a bit more mixed after that with more boom-or-bust aging veterans, but also a nice crop of emerging young players who haven't fully broken through yet.The D-backs have been doing a good job of navigating this middle path of being consistently competitive without the big payrolls of the perennial NL contenders, never fully tearing down or pushing their chips all the way in.8. San Diego Padres2025 rank: 122024 rank: 102023 rank: 112022 rank: 6Elite: Fernando Tatis Jr./RFPlus: Mason Miller/RHP, Jackson Merrill/CF, Manny Machado/3BSolid: Nick Pivetta/RHP, Michael King/RHP, Xander Bogaerts/SS, Bradgley Rodriguez/RHP, Ethan Salas/C, Luis Campusano/C, Jake Cronenworth/2B, Jeremiah Estrada/RHPThe Padres consistently have the shortest lists in this exercise, but they also always have a number of star players locked up long term on a competitive, if not contending team.The trick has been keeping a star in the pipeline (Salas might well be that, but it's not clear who's next behind him) and if they can fill in the spots around the stars effectively enough to get deep in the playoffs.9. Philadelphia Phillies2025 rank: 32024 rank: 52023 rank: 152022 rank: 8Elite: Jesus Luzardo/LHP, Cristopher Sanchez/LHPPlus: Bryce Harper/1B, Kyle Schwarber/DHSolid: Aaron Nola/RHP, Trea Turner/SS, Aidan Miller/SS, Gage Wood/RHP, Andrew Painter/RHP, Jonathan Bowlan/RHP, J.T. Realmuto/C, Justin Crawford/CFWhile Luzardo, Sanchez, Harper, and Schwarber are all excelling, that third group (and those who didn't qualify because their contracts end too soon) are dragging this group down a bit. Zach Wheeler, Jhoan Duran, Bryson Stott, and Brandon Marsh all fell off of eligibility this year, and Painter and Crawford didn't do what was hoped in the big leagues, Miller sat out the season because of injury, and Nola and Turner regressed a bit. This is the risk of an experienced team keeping the core together and going for it each year, but the Phillies will still be dangerous in the playoffs because the stars are doing what's necessary.10. New York Mets2025 rank: 42024 rank: 92023 rank: 102022 rank: 7Elite: Juan Soto/LFPlus: Francisco Lindor/SS, Carson Benge/RF, Nolan McLean/RHP, A.J. Ewing/CFSolid: Bo Bichette/3B, Christian Scott/RHP, Francisco Alvarez/C, Jefferson Rojas/SS, Devin Williams/RHP, Jonah Tong/RHP, Luis Torrens/C, Elian Pena/SS, Jacob Reimer/3B, Jonathan Santucci/LHP, Mitch Voit/2B, Sammy Stafura/SS, Jack Wenninger/RHP, Ryan Clifford/1B, Brett Baty/3B, Reed Garrett/RHP, Nate Lavender/LHPThe Mets have been a roller coaster to follow the past few years. The head of baseball operations with a history of making the most of a small payroll is in place and now has among the biggest payrolls in baseball -- and it still isn't working. I didn't love their winter strategically in the moment and I didn't like their draft this year for value.There are still young stars and established veterans to build around, but how players that will need to be added around them this winter fit together will be key. Having a clear point of view on a player and what you're good at as an organization is key to success in the modern game and I think the Mets lost sight of that for a bit, but they can still get it back.11. Toronto Blue Jays2025 rank: 232024 rank: 242023 rank: 142022 rank: 5Elite: Dylan Cease/RHPPlus: Alejandro Kirk/C, Louis Varland/RHP, Vladimir Guerrero Jr./1BSolid: Kazuma Okamoto/3B, Andres Gimenez/SS, Trey Yesavage/RHP, Jose Soriano/RHP, JoJo Parker/SS, Brandon Valenzuela/C, Spencer Miles/RHP, Tyler Rogers/RHP, Johnny King/LHP, Sean Keys/3B, Nolan Perry/RHP, Ricky Tiedemann/LHP, Ernie Clement/2B, Addison Barger/RF, Nathan Lukes/RF, Brett Bateman/CF, Jake Bloss/RHP, Myles Straw/LF, Mason Fluharty/LHP, Cody Ponce/RHPCease has been the rare big-ticket free agent pitcher whose contract immediately looks good for his team, as he has already reached career highs in a number of categories in the first year of his deal.Guerrero is having a down year to where it's hard to totally square with his past, but the solid tier is very strong here -- with Okamoto, Gimenez, Yesavage, and Soriano all strong big league contributors who could jump up a tier with a big 2027. The 2026 big league season has been a bit disappointing, but there's a lot of quality depth along with high-end talent, so I can see the components for a turnaround.12. Cleveland Guardians2025 rank: 102024 rank: 62023 rank: 92022 rank: 9Elite: NonePlus: Parker Messick/LHP, Jose Ramirez/3B, Chase DeLauter/RF, Gavin Williams/RHPSolid: Cade Smith/RHP, Brayan Rocchio/SS, Travis Bazzana/2B, Angel Genao/2B, Braylon Doughty/RHP, Ralphy Velazquez/1B, Patrick Bailey/C, Joey Cantillo/LHP, Tanner Bibee/RHP, Juneiker Caceres/RF, Aaron Walton/CF, Cooper Ingle/C, Jaison Chourio/CF, Erik Sabrowski/RHP, Angel Martinez/LF, Dean Curley/SS, Daniel Espino/RHP, Khal Stephen/RHPThe Guardians just keep churning through players to field the competitive big league squad that works within their payroll parameters. The first 10 players listed were all originally drafted or signed by the Guardians, so this isn't the hyperactive team-building approach of the Rays in which most of the team comes in via trade.Positioning these waves of players to continually stay competitive (only one year under a .490 winning percentage since 2012) without having the payroll to outspend a bad wave or continually trading to fill holes is impressive.13. Detroit Tigers2025 rank: 222024 rank: 182023 rank: 252022 rank: 25Elite: Kevin McGonigle/SSPlus: Dillon Dingler/C, Riley Greene/LFSolid: Max Clark/CF, Keider Montero/RHP, Framber Valdez/LHP, Troy Melton/RHP, Zyhir Hope/RF, Colt Keith/3B, River Ryan/RHP, Bryce Rainer/SS, Jackson Jobe/RHP, Josue Briceno/C, Reese Olson/RHP, Kash Mayfield/LHP, Andrew Sears/LHP, Max Anderson/2B, Drew Sommers/LHP, Eduardo Valencia/C, Hao-Yu Lee/2BThe top four players are all young, core-type talents in the lineup and there's probably a few more who will emerge in the next year or so from the group beneath them. Unfortunately for an organization that made the playoffs the past two years fueled by a back-to-back Cy Young winner in Tarik Skubal, that isn't this team right now.There are six to eight really good components of a long-term winning team and the rest of that hypothetical team could be come from some positive developments from the names just below them: Valdez's stuff comes back a bit, Melton posts a full season in the rotation, Hope and Ryan show up in the big leagues and Jobe is healthy. Maybe that's wish-casting, but that isn't too far-fetched to imagine it all clicking next season.14. Seattle Mariners2025 rank: 22024 rank: 42023 rank: 32022 rank: 10Elite: NonePlus: Julio Rodriguez/CF, Bryan Woo/RHP, Cal Raleigh/CSolid: George Kirby/RHP, Cole Young/2B, Colt Emerson/SS, Kade Anderson/LHP, Ryan Sloan/RHP, Dom Canzone/DH, Emerson Hancock/RHP, Felnin Celesten/SS, Bryce Miller/RHP, Josh Naylor/1B, Andres Munoz/RHP, Luke Stevenson/C, Jonny Farmelo/CF, Michael Arroyo/2B, Lazaro Montes/DH, Ace Reese/3BIt has been a disappointing season in Seattle, and though they lost a lot of ground in this year's ranking, I think they'll go up again next year. I'm hedged a bit on their top prospects at the end of the solid tier that haven't played much in the big leagues but probably will next year. I'm also hedged a bit on Emerson, Anderson and Sloan: They could all be stars but are stuck in the "elite prospect that hasn't quite done it in the big leagues yet" area. If they perform well next year and everyone else holds or improves, then this will easily be a top-10 core again, with just a blip in 2026.15. Kansas City Royals2025 rank: 192024 rank: 162023 rank: 262022 rank: 27Elite: Bobby Witt Jr./SSPlus: Michael Wacha/RHP, Jac Caglianone/RFSolid: Noah Cameron/LHP, Carter Jensen/C, Maikel Garcia/3B, Cole Ragans/LHP, Seth Lugo/RHP, Michael Massey/2B, Kendry Chourio/RHP, Ramon Ramirez/C, David Shields/LHP, Zion Rose/CF, Justin Lamkin/LHP, Vinnie Pasquantino/1B, Blake Mitchell/C, Nick Loftin/3BWitt is doing a lot of heavy lifting, but Caglianone still has more room to move if he continues to progress. The issue is that the big leaguers behind those two seem to be running up against their ceilings and all of the prospects listed are in High-A or just got to Double-A (Lamkin only). So, there won't be a ton of reinforcements coming for full seasons in 2027, more likely in 2028.Without a huge payroll, the Royals need to be opportunistic in development at all levels and in finding players who can outperform the cost of their contracts.16. Pittsburgh Pirates2025 rank: 212024 rank: 212023 rank: 172022 rank: 22Elite: NonePlus: Paul Skenes/RHP, Braxton Ashcraft/RHP, Bryan Reynolds/LF, Oneil Cruz/CFSolid: Konnor Griffin/SS, Jared Jones/RHP, Bubba Chandler/RHP, Seth Hernandez/RHP, Mason Montgomery/LHP, Esmerlyn Valdez/RF, Nick Gonzales/SS, Rafael Flores Jr./C, Jake Mangum/CF, Mitch Keller/RHP, Edward Florentino/CF, Murf Gray/3B, Endy Rodriguez/C, Wyatt Sanford/SS, Axiel Plaz/C, Khristian Curtis/RHP, Easton Carmichael/C, Jacob Gonzalez/SS, Yohan Ramirez/RHP, Carmen Mlodzinski/RHPBefore you ask, Skenes is at the top of the plus tier and Griffin is at the top of the solid tier, and is valued for this ranking as borderline between the two tiers. I chose not to put any prospects or players who haven't posted big full big league seasons in the solid tier this time; if Griffin is healthy and performing near his potential next season, he'll move up.It's the same for Skenes when/if his velo/ground ball rate bounces back a bit.Somewhat ironically with the glut of talented young pitchers in this organization, the run prevention was weaker than the offense this season as the Pirates spent some money trying to shore up the lineup. With a potential step forward from Griffin next year, Hernandez lingering and a number of young players with some upside still not tapped into yet, there's upside to next year's ranking.17. Baltimore Orioles2025 rank: 92024 rank: 32023 rank: 62022 rank: 13Elite: NonePlus: Pete Alonso/1B, Gunnar Henderson/SS, Shane Baz/RHPSolid: Kyle Bradish/RHP, Colton Cowser/CF, Blaze Alexander/3B, Coby Mayo/3B, Jackson Holliday/2B, Samuel Basallo/C, Yennier Cano/RHP, Jordan Westburg/3B, Anthony Eyanson/RHP, Enddy Azocar/CF, Joseph Dzierwa/LHP, Brandon Young/RHP, Michael Forret/RHP, Luis De Leon/LHP, Christian Encarnacion-Strand/3B, Nate George/CF, J.T. Quinn/RHP, Wehiwa Aloy/SS, Boston Bateman/LHP, Caden Hunter/LHP, Ike Irish/RF, Kyson Witherspoon/RHP, Trey Gibson/RHP, Enrique Bradfield Jr./CF, Ethan Anderson/C, Aron Estrada/2BThe O's have been fascinating to watch for the past 12 months or so. The much-ballyhooed wave of talent is now being dismantled with the Adley Rutschman deal, and the clock is ticking on Henderson (two more seasons before free agency) among some of the others from that group.Now, they have the second-longest list in baseball behind the Brewers with a plethora of interesting post-hype young big leaguers along with one of the deepest systems in baseball. Almost every prospect I've mentioned here will be in Triple-A or the big leagues next year. This is a critical mass of young talent and, if the Orioles picked the right guys and now handle them correctly, it could end up delivering what the last wave was expected to deliver.18. Cincinnati Reds2025 rank: 162024 rank: 202023 rank: 202022 rank: 19Elite: Elly De La Cruz/SSPlus: Chase Burns/RHP, Sal Stewart/1BSolid: Hunter Greene/RHP, JJ Bleday/LF, Alfredo Duno/C, Andrew Abbott/LHP, Matt McLain/2B, Spencer Steer/1B, Hector Rodriguez/LF, Edwin Arroyo/SS, Rhett Lowder/RHP, Graham Ashcraft/RHP, Carlos Jorge/CFThe Reds have four stars, though one is injured (Greene) and one has limited position value (Stewart). Burns will probably be in the elite tier next season. That top group keeps Cincinnati competitive in this exercise, but it wasn't until I tried to fill out the rest of this list that I noticed how thin things have become in the upper minors and how many promising players have stalled in the big leagues or upper minors.You'd rather have stars than depth if you had to pick one, but this is not a formula that will work as currently constituted unless the front office nails an offseason and most of the team overperforms expectations.19. Houston Astros2025 rank: 82024 rank: 72023 rank: 52022 rank: 3Elite: Yordan Alvarez/DHPlus: Hunter Brown/RHP, Josh Hader/LHPSolid: Carlos Correa/SS, Peter Lambert/RHP, Steven Okert/LHP, Jose Altuve/2B, Yainer Diaz/C, Hayden Wesneski/RHP, Xavier Neyens/3B, Cam Smith/RFLike the Padres, this list is normally short and stuffed with accomplished big leaguers on longer-term deals. The longtime core has shown some age and now a new core of Alvarez and Brown has taken center stage, but the rest of that core hasn't filled out just yet.Mike Burrows and Ryan Weiss (both not on this list) were targets to upgrade the rotation, but Lambert, Wesneski, and recently promoted prospect Ethan Pecko are playing those roles right now, for a much lower cost.The recent draft was strong, but there's a gap between the needs of this big league roster over the next few years before those low minors prospects will be ready to step in.20. Texas Rangers2025 rank: 142024 rank: 152023 rank: 42022 rank: 14Elite: NonePlus: Wyatt Langford/LF, Jacob deGrom/RHP, Corey Seager/SS, Ezequiel Duran/3BSolid: Sebastian Walcott/SS, Josh Jung/3B, Jacob Latz/LHP, Brandon Nimmo/RF, Evan Carter/CF, Jake Burger/1B, Kumar Rocker/RHP, Justin Foscue/2B, Jack Leiter/RHPThere's not much depth, but the whole list is almost entirely solid big leaguers with a strong top end joined by one of the top prospects in baseball in Walcott. The top five players are true superstars at their best, so the Rangers can't fall back too far, but the farm system beyond Walcott has either plateaued (similar to Rocker and Leiter) or are recent signees in the low minors who aren't close enough to be mentioned.Trading prospects for MacKenzie Gore obviously hurts this ranking a bit because he doesn't have enough contractual control to qualify, but the scouting/development has also stumbled a bit in recent years.21. Chicago White Sox2025 rank: 292024 rank: 292023 rank: 152022 rank: 18Elite: NonePlus: Miguel Vargas/3B, Colson Montgomery/SS, Tristan Peters/CF, Chase Meidroth/2BSolid: Roch Cholowsky/SS, Grant Taylor/RHP, Sean Burke/RHP, Caleb Bonemer/3B, Sam Antonacci/LF, Noah Schultz/LHP, Kyle Teel/C, Braden Montgomery/RF, Davis Martin/RHP, Bryan Hudson/LHP, Hagen Smith/LHP, Brenton Doyle/CF, Tanner McDougal/RHP, Edgar Quero/C, William Bergolla Jr./2BThe talent on the South Side has obviously improved a lot this season, even with Munetaka Murakami not qualifying here because he's only under control through next season. Vargas, Colon Montgomery, Peters and Meidroth made a big jump in the big leagues, and Cholowsky was the top pick in the draft, Taylor is one of the better relievers in baseball, and Bonemer hit 36 homers in the minor leagues this season.There's still room to improve with Schultz, Teel, Braden Montgomery and Smith all hitting speed bumps of sorts -- but not the kind to change their long-term projections.22. St. Louis Cardinals2025 rank: 242024 rank: 232023 rank: 82022 rank: 4Elite: JJ Wetherholt/2BPlus: Masyn Winn/SSSolid: Alec Burleson/1B, Jordan Walker/RF, Rainiel Rodriguez/C, Andre Pallante/RHP, Liam Doyle/LHP, Joshua Baez/RF, Ivan Herrera/C, Leo Bernal/C, Kyle Leahy/RHP, Tanner Franklin/RHP, Jurrangelo Cijntje/RHP, Yhoiker Fajardo/RHP, Josiah Ragsdale/CF, Michael McGreevy/RHP, Matthew Liberatore/LHP, Quinn Mathews/LHP, Brandon Clarke/LHP, Tai Peete/RF, Cooper Hjerpe/LHP, Blaze Jordan/1B, Hunter Dobbins/RHPThe Chaim Bloom regime in St. Louis has done a good job of acquiring prospects in trades and in picking well in the draft, but something that is often treated as less important is player development. When an organization can take a stalled-out but talented prospect like Jordan Walker and help find a new level of performance, it makes the scouting group and the big league team better and that's what the best organizations do.A number of the young players listed above are now performing better than they were a year or two ago, even fitting as role players. It makes the job of making a competitive organization that much easier and now the bottom of the minor league system is filled out, it's honestly starting to look a bit like the Rays development pipeline in St. Louis.23. Washington Nationals2025 rank: 262024 rank: 252023 rank: 282022 rank: 29Elite: James Wood/LFPlus: CJ Abrams/SS, Cade Cavalli/RHPSolid: Connelly Early/LHP, Daylen Lile/LF, Eli Willits/SS, Seaver King/SS, Jacob Young/CF, Travis Sykora/RHP, Jarlin Susana/RHP, Devin Fitz-Gerald/SS, Dylan Crews/RF, Brady House/3B, Luke Dickerson/SS, Andrew Alvarez/LHP, Harry Ford/C, Jackson Kent/LHP, D.J. Herz/LHPI guess it shouldn't be too surprising that many of the teams ranked in this area have had president/GM changes in the past few years; generally these new regimes have been doing the right thing and the Nats are no exception.Washington's recent drafts largely aren't reflected here since those players are still years away, but development happens at the big league level, too: Cavalli, Abrams and Wood have all made strides of late. The healthy returns of Sykora and Susana could be the key to upgrading the pitching staff as both have frontline potential.24. Tampa Bay Rays2025 rank: 252024 rank: 192023 rank: 72022 rank: 11Elite: Junior Caminero/3BPlus: NoneSolid: Jonathan Aranda/1B, Theo Gillen/CF, Caden Bodine/C, Chandler Simpson/CF, Liam Hicks/C, Ian Seymour/LHP, Brody Hopkins/RHP, Ryan Pepiot/RHP, Bryan Baker/RHP, Santiago Suarez/RHP, Victor Mesa Jr./RF, Austin Overn/CF, Xavier Isaac/1B, Cam Booser/LHP, Ty Johnson/RHP, Jonny DeLuca/RF, Kevin Kelly/RHPThe way the Rays do team building isn't that conducive to ranking highly in this exercise. They add talent to the farm system to come up in waves, but prospects can only be valued so highly for this process when they haven't yet done anything in the big leagues, and the lower minors essentially don't count at all. In the big leagues, the Rays hand out long-term deals only to superstars, so some of their best players are on deals that will expire or are getting extensions on a rolling basis to minimize risk.In addition, the Rays often trade noncore players as they enter arbitration years, so the pool for this exercise consists of a superstar on a long-term deal, elite upper-minors prospects and the good pre-arbitration players who are playing well. So, by design, most of the Rays' good big leaguers will never qualify and that drags their ranking lower than the true health of the organization. But if Theo Gillen and Grady Emerson (not ranked due to proximity) both end up on a Caminero trajectory, that would bump them up a good bit from here.25. Athletics2025 rank: 202024 rank: 262023 rank: 292022 rank: 26Elite: NonePlus: Nick Kurtz/1B, Shea Langeliers/C, Jacob Wilson/SSSolid: Leo De Vries/SS, Henry Bolte/CF, Tyler Soderstrom/LF, Zack Gelof/2B, J.T. Ginn/RHP, Gage Jump/LHP, Brent Rooker/DH, Jacob Lopez/LHP, Jamie Arnold/LHP, Drew Burress/CF, Lawrence Butler/RF, Wei-En Lin/LHP, Devin Taylor/LF, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer/SS, Hogan Harris/LHPBolte and Ginn have been nice surprises, but it has been mostly a sideways year for this group, with some injuries and down seasons while some long-time prospects have now had multiple subpar years and have fallen off of the list.When the big league team has a bad season, this is somewhat expected, but it also is something that can happen when lots of extensions (Butler, Soderstrom, Wilson, Rooker) are handed out: you're stuck with those players in key roles, good or bad. It's usually a good thing overall and next year might be different, but a positive catalyst is needed.26. Miami Marlins2025 rank: 272024 rank: 272023 rank: 232022 rank: 18Elite: NonePlus: Otto Lopez/SSSolid: Eury Lopez/RHP, Aiva Arquette/SS, Cam Cannarella/CF, Max Meyer/RHP, Joe Mack/C, Thomas White/LHP, Xavier Edwards/2B, Heriberto Hernandez/LF, Karson Milbrandt/RHP, Kyle Stowers/1B, Robby Snelling/LHP, Jakob Marsee/CF, Janson Junk/RHP, Owen Caissie/RF, Brayden Taylor/3B, Javier Sanoja/3B, Michael Petersen/RHP, Griffin Conine/RF, Dillon Lewis/CF, Fenwick Trimble/RF, Brandon Compton/LFThe Marlins are turning the corner, now competitive in the big leagues and with a top-10 farm system. I give them the edge over the Angels -- despite the Los Angeles edge in the plus category -- because of the Marlins depth of upper minors/big league types.I'd expect a few to move into the plus territory next season while most of these prospects also should be in the big leagues next year. The depth of the system and lower minors has also improved under this newish regime, so the overall health of the organization has improved a lot in the past few years.27. Los Angeles Angels2025 rank: 282024 rank: 282023 rank: 272022 rank: 21Elite: NonePlus: Reid Detmers/LHP, Zach Neto/SS, Mike Trout/CFSolid: Arjun Nimmala/SS, Tyler Bremner/RHP, Walbert Urena/RHP, Dylan Jordan/RHP, Hayden Alvarez/CF, Nolan Schanuel/1B, Samy Natera Jr./LHP, Wade Meckler/LF, Moises Ballesteros/DH, George Klassen/RHP, Christian Moore/2B, Nelson Rada/CFThe Angels have been arrow-up on the farm this year, but that is coming mostly from high school picks taken in the past two drafts, so none are close enough to the majors to qualify for this exercise.With a new owner and probably some outside hires in the front office, I can see some positive movement coming. Detmers (two years of control after 2026) and Neto (three years) are on the clock to be a part of the next contending team while Trout is on a different clock.Nimmala, Bremner, Jordan, Alvarez and a number of low minors prospects who aren't mentioned above form the core group with the best chance to put this team back in the playoffs.28. San Francisco Giants2025 rank: 152024 rank: 222023 rank: 222022 rank: 28Elite: NonePlus: Rafael Devers/1B, Logan Webb/RHPSolid: Casey Schmitt/LF, Landen Roupp/RHP, Bryce Eldridge/DH, Willy Adames/SS, Matt Chapman/3B, Josuar Gonzalez/SS, Jackson Flora/RHP, Ramon Marquez/RHP, Jhonny Level/2B, Jung-Hoo Lee/RF, Trevor McDonald/RHP, Drew Gilbert/CF, Jonah Cox/CF, Daniel Susac/C, Gavin Kilen/SS, Bo Davidson/CF, Jacob Bresnahan/LHP, Dakota Jordan/CFThe star potential of Devers, Webb, Adams and Chapman seems to have passed while Patrick Bailey's down season led to a trade, so this feels a bit like a turning of the page for the Giants.I'm not sure any of the prospects listed will be real big league factors next year, but they might all be by 2028, with star potential for Gonzalez, Flora and Marquez.Adames and Chapman need to take steps forward for this core to have a chance to break out in terms of their big league record in 2027; if they don't, it wouldn't shock me if things started leaning toward a rebuild.29. Minnesota Twins2025 rank: 182024 rank: 112023 rank: 192022 rank: 17Elite: NonePlus: Byron Buxton/CFSolid: Taj Bradley/RHP, Walker Jenkins/CF, Vahn Lackey/C, Kaelen Culpepper/SS, Luke Keaschall/2B, Brooks Lee/3B, Kody Clemens/2B, Marek Houston/SS, Connor Prielipp/LHP, Emmanuel Rodriguez/CF, Royce Lewis/1B, Riley Quick/RHP, Hendry Mendez/LF, Khadim Diaw/C, Zebby Matthews/RHP, Andrew Morris/RHP, Mick Abel/RHP, Kendry Rojas/LHPThis is a reload for the Twins, with Buxton on the other side of his peak, Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan not qualifying due to lack of contractual control, and all of the prospects listed having a real chance to be in the big leagues next season.I'd expect at least one, if not a few, of the players near the top of solid to move to plus next season, and the return from possibly trading Lopez/Ryan along with another high first-round draft pick adding to the list. I see this fall in ranking more as "moving down to later move up" than a problem to be fixed.30. Colorado Rockies2025 rank: 302024 rank: 302023 rank: 302022 rank: 30Elite: NonePlus: Hunter Goodman/CSolid: Cole Carrigg/CF, Jake McCarthy/LF, T.J. Rumfield/1B, Kyle Karros/3B, Charlie Condon/1B, Ethan Holliday/SS, Chase Dollander/RHP, Mickey Moniak/LF, Roldy Brito/2B, Jackson Cox/RHP, Gabriel Hughes/RHP, Zac Veen/RF, Brennan Bernardino/LHPIt's not all despair here despite another finish at the bottom of these rankings, as things are starting to move in the right direction. Early returns are positive on Holliday, last year's first-round pick, and I liked what the Rockies did in the draft this year, the first under a new regime. Carrigg, McCarthy, Rumfield, Karros and Condon have all been arrow-up either in the big leagues or upper minors while the lower minors are continuing to add more talent; I'd bet the Rockies are out of the cellar in next season's ranking.
