Dodgers maintain one of baseball's best farms despite Deadline departures
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LOS ANGELES -- While the Dodgers traded away some serious prospect talent this summer, they also restocked their system with a couple of fresh faces.
The Dodgers lost two Top 100 prospects, and three Top 30 prospects in total, to the Tigers in the Trade Deadline blockbuster that netted ace left-hander Tarik Skubal. It was a big package for a rental, but L.A.'s farm system is so deep that the organization was able to absorb the losses of Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith.
After MLB Pipeline's midseason rerankings, the Dodgers remain well-represented with six prospects on the overall Top 100 list. Their updated organizational Top 30 rankings are led by the strength of the system: the outfield.
Here’s a look at the Dodgers' top prospects:
- Josue De Paula, OF (MLB No. 6)
- Mike Sirota, OF (MLB No. 16)
- Eduardo Quintero, OF (MLB No. 20)
- Emil Morales, SS/3B (MLB No. 24)
- Christian Zazueta, RHP (MLB No. 36)
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:
Jump: Jaron Elkins (Preseason: Unranked | Midseason: No. 18)
After posting a 1.005 OPS in 68 games with Single-A Ontario, Elkins earned a promotion to High-A Great Lakes and has continued to mash. The 21-year-old was the Dodgers' eighth-round pick in the 2023 Draft, and he's improved in virtually every offensive category while continuing to play strong defense in center field in his breakout season between the two levels.
Fall (tie): Jackson Ferris, LHP (Preseason: No. 7 | Midseason: No. 17)
Ferris has struggled in his first season in Triple-A, going 1-5 with a 7.15 ERA in 18 outings (17 starts) with Oklahoma City. The southpaw, who originally came to the Dodgers' organization alongside Hope in the trade that sent Michael Busch to Chicago, has continued to struggle with his command, issuing 43 walks in 73 innings.
Joendry Vargas, SS/2B (Preseason: No. 21 | Midseason: Unranked)
The 20-year-old Vargas, who signed with the organization out of the Dominican Republic in the 2023 international signing class, has handled Single-A play better than he did last season, when he posted a .646 OPS in 29 games with Rancho Cucamonga. But his aggressiveness at the plate has hurt him some with Ontario this year, as he's struck out 89 times and drawn only 23 walks.
New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:
No. 10: Bo Lowrance, 3B (Pick No. 40 in 2026 Draft)
No. 25: Jacob Kmatz, RHP (Trade with Rays)
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 65 -- De Paula
Power: 60 -- De Paula (Morales)
Run: 80 -- Kendall George ( Kellon Lindsey)
Arm: 60 -- Elkins (Noah Miller, Eduardo Quintero)
Defense: 70 -- Miller
Fastball: 70 -- Aidan Foeller
Curveball: 60 -- Kmatz (Sterling Patick, Zach Root)
Slider: 70 -- Kmatz
Changeup: 60 -- Zazueta (Root)
Control: 60 -- Zazueta