AL East Farm System Rankings: Red Sox already have advantage over Yankees in 2025

The Boston Red Sox farm system has become highly-touted in the past few seasons. How does it stack up against the rest of the American League East?

Let's look at each minor league system of the five AL East teams and rank them from worst to best. It's not just the top names that matter but the overall depth of each system. We'll be using a combination of MLB Pipeline and Baseball America rankings and our (totally unbiased) thoughts.

Are the Red Sox the top dogs, or does another team take that crown?

Which American League East team has the best farm system?

Fifth place - New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are in the World Series, and ownership will likely spend more money this offseason. They have a lot of positives going for them. Potential homegrown talent is not one of those things.

Spencer Jones was their big prospect entering this season. He has a fun combination of power and speed. Jones is good defensively and is a massive body (drawing Aaron Judge comparisons). He struck out 200 times as a 23-year-old in Double-A. The potential is still there, but the red flags are glaring.

Jasson Dominguez is their lone top-100 prospect, and he's looked lost in the majors this season. He's still young and could figure things out, though.

The Yankees will need some breakouts in 2025 if they want to improve. However, right now, they potentially have the worst farm system in baseball. They don't have much top-level talent, and the depth isn't good. However, New York fans won't care about their farm system if they win the World Series.

Fourth place - Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays added a few prospects at the trade deadline that bumped them up a bit in the rankings. However, they don't have much going on at the top of their system.

Ricky Tiedemann, a 22-year-old lefty pitcher, is Toronto's best prospect. He only threw 17 1/3 innings due to injury in 2024 — 1/3 in the FCL, eight in Single-A, and nine in Triple-A (allowing six earned runs in those nine innings). He'll likely be fine, but 2024 wasn't a positive season.

Trey Yesavage was their first-round pick in 2024 and might be the top prospect, even about Tiedemann. We haven't gotten to see him play yet, though. Orelvis Martinez is their top position player prospect, and he's shown legitimate power. However, he got popped for PEDs in June, which severely hurt his stock. If Arjun Nimmala can take a step forward in 2025, he'll give them a young and exciting shortstop in the system. He seems to have some serious pop in his bat.

The Blue Jays have some excitement at the top of their system, but a few of their big names had disappointing 2024 seasons for various reasons. The depth isn't great, but there could be massive steps in the right direction in 2025.

Third place - Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are only this low because most of their best prospects have graduated recently. They went from one of the most stacked systems ever to below average in one year. The future is still ridiculously bright for this team because they have all that young talent in the big leagues. If we're speaking on the farm system, though, it's not great.

Samuel Basallo is their best prospect, and I feel like he's going to get traded. He's a catcher, but they have Adley Rutschman. Basallo plays first base, but that's a waste of his arm. I saw Basallo play against the Salem Red Sox, and I immediately hated playing against him. He made it up to Triple-A as a 20-year-old in 2024.

After Basallo, Enrique Bradfield Jr. is fun. He has ridiculous speed (74 steals in 2024) and showed off a decent enough bat with gold glove defense in the outfield. Vance Honeycutt was their first-round pick in 2024, and he didn't do anything to alleviate the strikeout worries (24 in 51 ABs).

Again, this is a farm system that was historically good before the 2024 season. Most of those elite names are helping the big league squad now. What the O's are left with isn't very inspiring, but the depth isn't terrible. However, Baltimore has a few guys who could take strides in the next two seasons.

Second place - Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays farm system is packed with talent. They have just as much depth as Boston. They have an all-world name in pitcher Gary Gill Hill, who had a strong season in Single-A. The addition of outfielder Aidan Smith at the trade deadline was a nice boost for them as well.

Dominic Keegan is a promising catching prospect, while Tre' Morgan crushed Single-A and High-A pitching (he slumped during a short test in Double-A). Meanwhile, Brailer Guerrero could make a big splash in 2025. However, they don't have as much as the Red Sox in terms of front-end talent.

Chandler Simpson had a ludicrous season, hitting .355 and stealing 104 bases (not a typo) between High-A and Double-A. I don't like to make comparisons, but you have to think Rays fans are being reminded of another outfielder in Carl Crawford.

Brayden Taylor was the team's 2023 first-round selection, and the infielder mashed 20 home runs between High-A and Double-A this season.

Xavier Isaac's production dipped when he jumped to Double-A, but he finished the year with strong numbers (.264/.370/.480) and just missed out on 20 home runs (18).

Carson Williams hit .256 with 20 home runs and 33 steals while playing shortstop. He spent all year in Double-A and turned 21 during the season. Williams should be in Triple-A in 2025.

There are a few stars in the system. I don't think Chandler Simpson's getting the love he deserves for his absurd 2024. Meanwhile, the depth is great. However, it's impossible to compete with the star power in Boston's system.

First place - Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox farm system is loaded with MLB-ready talent and capable depth.

The Sox have a slew of prospects who are primed for a breakout in 2025, such as Natanael Yuten, Nelly Taylor, Jedixson Paez, Yordanny Monegro, and more. They also have many guys who aren't considered top-100 talent but are legitimate candidates to find themselves on that list.

Jhostynxon Garcia had a star-making season in 2024. He made his way to Double-A and has great tools as a right-handed hitting outfielder. His brother Johanfran Garcia was demolishing Single-A pitching as a right-handed catcher before suffering a season-ending injury. He'll be back in the mix in 2025.

Mikey Romero is healthy and mashing. He worked his way to Double-A and has put himself back into the conversation as a legitimate part of the future. Chase Meidroth gets on-base at Barry Bonds levels and plays good defense at multiple positions. Meanwhile, Luis Perales was a top-50 prospect in baseball before losing his season to Tommy John.

Miguel Bleis has been a top-100 prospect in the past. He's only 20 and, despite struggles in High-A, has shown all the tools to be great. Yoeilin Cespedes has already had top 100 conversations and should be healthy in 2025. Infield prospect Conrad Cason also has insane potential.

Then, there's the top-level talent. Franklin Arias enjoyed a breakout 2024 season, which moved him into top-100 status for Pipeline and Baseball America. Braden Montgomery somehow slipped to the Red Sox in the draft this year. Despite an injury keeping him out of action, he's already a top-100 prospect as well.

Before Montgomery and Arias, though, the Red Sox have four prospects in the top 25 range. Seriously, four.

Kyle Teel is a left-handed hitting catcher who brings a high OBP, decent pop, and great defense. Marcelo Mayer is a left-handed hitting shortstop who might not have an elite tool, but everything is above-average. Kristian Campbell had a meteoric rise in 2024 and became a top-ten prospect in baseball thanks to a season that saw him slash .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 24 steals between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. Roman Anthony is the best prospect in baseball after he slashed .291/.396/.498 with 18 homers and 21 steals between Double-A and Triple-A as a 20-year-old.

The Red Sox have the best depth and best top-level talent in the AL East. They might have finished third in the division in 2025, but the future is bright.