Heading into the 2025 MLB season, MLB.com ranked the San Diego Padres' farm system as the 25th-ranked in the league. After all of the trades the team has pulled off in recent years, the farm system is finally depleted.
That view doesn't seem to be the case, according to Padres general manager A.J. Preller. In an article from Dennis Lin in The Athletic, Preller revealed that teams around baseball view the Padres' farm system as underrated.
"I can tell already in some of the initial early conversations with clubs," Preller said. "We have a lot of guys that have stepped forward in the system. On the pitching side, there's been a number of guys that are going out and pitching well - some of whom have been highlighted as top names in our system, top draft picks, but there's been a group of guys that have continued to get better."
This update from Preller on how the league is viewing his players is a great sign for the Padres. Despite their farm system being ranked 25th at the start of the year, teams around baseball are interested in what the Padres' prospects have to offer.
San Diego's farm system isn't viewed highly around the league, even with top prospects Ethan Salas and Leo De Vries catching the attention of writers and analysts across baseball. But, in the eyes of front office personnel around baseball, the Padres' prospects are intriguing names to keep watch.
Not only is this a good view for the Padres in the trade market, but in the event the team decides not to buy, they have a much more promising future based on the prospect evaluations.
Whether the prospects are dealt or kept, the view from teams around baseball is a great one. The prospects being rated highly is a sign that the Padres are in much better shape than was initially surmised at the beginning of the season by experts and analysts.