The Houston Astros have been the golden standard in the MLB for nearly a decade with their success on the field.
The 2024 season was the first time since 2016 that the team didn’t advance to the ALCS. Their seven-year streak was snapped in shocking fashion by the Detroit Tigers, who swept them on their home field in the ALWC.
Remaining that dominant on the field is not easy and it certainly comes at a price.
For the Astros, that price has been their farm system, as they have put an emphasis on maximizing their window to contend.
Over at ESPN, Kiley McDaniel has shared a bleak outlook for their farm system, which is currently the lowest-ranked in baseball.
“Houston isn’t a bad scouting organization, but the Astros prioritize the big league team, so arrow-up prospects such as OF Drew Gilbert, OF Ryan Clifford, RHP Jake Bloss and OF Joey Loperfido are often part of trades to help the major league roster with deals,” wrote the ESPN analyst.
Houston is ranked 30th in his latest update with a value of $104 million. That is a drop from 27th place last year, but an increase from the $88 million they were worth.
There is one reason the Astros didn’t become the only team to see its farm system value drop from where it was in 2024; Cam Smith.
He was the crown jewel in the Kyle Tucker blockbuster trade with the Chicago Cubs, instantly becoming the team’s No. 1 ranked prospect. There is only one other player, outfielder Jacob Melton, who is ranked inside the top 100 prospects in this farm system.
Given the state of the Big League outfield, there is a strong chance that Melton will graduate this year, along with third baseman Zach Dezenzo.
Outside of Smith, their farm system mostly consists of players who seemingly have the ceiling of being role players at the MLB level, operating mostly as organizational depth without too much upside.
It will be interesting to see how things change in the near future when it comes to the farm system.
Trading Tucker with one year of team control remaining was a hint that the organization’s philosophy was changing.
He isn’t the first homegrown player to depart the franchise but is the first one that they traded to ensure they received some value in return for.
Previously, they allowed players like George Springer and Carlos Correa to play out the string and leave as free agents. It is what they could potentially be doing with Alex Bregman this offseason as well.
The true test will be with Framber Valdez, who is set to hit free agency after the 2025 campaign but remains on the roster, for now.