A look at the Padres' new Top 30 prospects after Deadline frenzy

The dust has settled from another wild Padres Trade Deadline. And now that it has, here’s another seemingly annual tradition in San Diego: piecing together the new-look farm system in the aftermath of transactions that largely depleted it.

On Monday, MLB Pipeline unveiled its re-rank of the Padres’ top-30 prospects -- a list that no longer can draw from any of the 11 prospects who were traded away at the July 31 Trade Deadline.

As expected, catcher Ethan Salas replaces Leo De Vries in the top spot in the system after De Vries was traded to the A’s in the Mason Miller deal. Salas hasn’t played since April because of a stress reaction in his back, and he dropped from No. 19 overall to No. 86 (the only Padre on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list). But Salas' upside remains tantalizing, and he could soon begin a buildup toward a return.

Left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft, the team’s first-round selection in this year’s Draft, checks in at No. 2, one of six players in the top 30 to be added from outside the organization.

There’s plenty of upside within the new Top 30 list. (More importantly, there's also a dramatically improved big league roster with legitimate World Series ambitions.) But there's no denying this is a significantly thinner group of prospects than it was three weeks ago.

“It’s probably the toughest part of the job, having those conversations and making those calls,” general manager A.J. Preller said in the immediate aftermath of the Deadline. “It’s a testament to our scouting and player development group. In different points in time over the last few years, we’ve been able to be in this position to make these types of decisions and calls. It’s just because we have good players that other teams want.”

If recent history tells us anything, it should be this: No matter what the Padres traded away -- no matter how dire their pipeline may seem externally -- their farm system is salvageable. In 2020, ’22 and ’24, Preller went on similar trade sprees. Each time, forecasts of a barren system followed. And in each of those cases, Preller's team managed to shrewdly rebuild that system through the Draft and international signings -- to the point where other teams again coveted their prospects.

That's not to deny the cost. It's sizeable. This year, the bulk of that cost came in the form of De Vries, ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect. Throw in Braden Nett (Padres’ No. 3), Boston Bateman (No. 6), Cobb Hightower (No. 8) and Ryan Bergert (No. 9), and San Diego shipped out half of its top-10 prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline on Deadline day. Three others who were traded checked in among the top 20.

"We understand you've got to give up good players to get good players," Preller said. "And at the end? If they've put your team in a good position for now and for the future, that's a positive outcome. If we're doing our job, we're going to have players that are going to show up in the big leagues [for other teams] that are doing well."

For now, the Padres would clearly rather focus on what they have in their system than what they gave away. Not that this should come as any surprise, but internally they’re bullish on what they've got.

They’re thrilled Schoolcraft fell to them with the No. 25 overall pick. They nabbed 18-year-old shortstop Jorge Quintana in a trade with the Brewers, and he checks in as their new No. 7 prospect. The team’s No. 3 and 4 prospects remain intriguing young pitchers -- Humberto Cruz (who the Padres still managed to sign in 2024 despite allocating most of their international resources to De Vries) and Kash Mayfield, last year’s first-round pick.

There’s still a lot to like in the system, the Padres say. Yes, it's absolutely fair to focus on what they gave away. But when it comes to putting faith in rebuilding a depleted farm, Preller has earned the benefit of the doubt by now.

Here’s a look at the Padres’ top prospects:

1. Ethan Salas, C (MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 overall)
2. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP
3. Humberto Cruz, RHP
4. Kash Mayfield, LHP
5. Miguel Mendez, RHP

Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:

Jump: Miguel Mendez, RHP (Preseason: Not ranked | Midseason: No. 5) -- The 23-year-old Mendez has made major strides this season, working his way from Single-A Lake Elsinore to High-A Fort Wayne and recently earning a promotion to Double-A San Antonio. Mendez -- with an upper-90s fastball and a much-improved walk rate -- has recorded 99 strikeouts and just 50 hits across 78 2/3 innings this season.

Fall: Victor Lizarraga, RHP (Preseason: No. 13 | Midseason: No. 27) -- Lizarraga appeared to have been putting it together at San Antonio after a midseason reset. But he’s now allowed 15 earned runs over his last two starts, increasing his ERA to 7.16 for the season.

New to the list

Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:

2. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP (First-round Draft pick)
7. Jorge Quintana, SS (Acquired in trade with Milwaukee)
12. Ty Harvey, C (Fifth-round Draft pick)
13. Ryan Wideman, OF (Third-round Draft pick)
21. Michael Salina, RHP (Fourth-round Draft pick)
25. Truitt Madonna, C (11th-round Draft pick)

Best tools

Here are the Padres prospects with the best tools on the 20-80 scouting scale, with ties noted in parentheses:

Hit: 50 -- Tirso Ornelas (Jhoan De La Cruz)

Power: 60 -- Kale Fountain

Run: 70 -- Wideman

Arm: 60 -- Salas (Kavares Tears, Braedon Karpathios)

Defense: 70 -- Salas

Fastball: 65 -- Bradgley Rodriguez (Mendez)

Curveball: 60 -- Manuel Castro

Slider: 60 -- Mendez (Eric Yost, Jagger Haynes, Francis Pena)

Changeup: 65 -- Rodriguez

Control: 55 -- Humberto Cruz