Houston Astros Have Bottom of Barrel Farm System After Deadline

In the aftermath of the 2024 MLB trade deadline, the Houston Astros have one of the weakest farm systems in baseball.

Jul 11, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Jake Bloss (39) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the 2024 MLB season, the Houston Astros didn’t have the strongest farm system in baseball. They were near the bottom of the rankings, as Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report had them ranked at No. 26.

Despite not having the deepest farm system, the Astros used what they had at their disposal to make some additions. They acquired left-handed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays and left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson from the New York Yankees.

To complete that deal, Houston paid a premium. Top pitching prospect Jake Bloss, rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido and infield prospect Will Wagner were all traded to acquire Kikuchi.

It was a deal that many analysts believe the Astros overpaid to get completed. Kikuchi’s raw statistics weren’t very good, but he had some impressive underlying advanced analytics. Those underlying metrics have shown through in his first two starts, softening the blow somewhat.

But, an already weak farm system was thinned out even more. Following their deadline deals, Houston is one spot away from the bottom in the farm system rankings. They were the No. 5 faller per Reuter, going from No. 26 to No. 29.

“The farm system was already thinned by last summer's blockbuster deal to re-acquire Justin Verlander from the New York Mets, so this sends them further down into the bottom tier of systems.

With that said, infielder Brice Matthews has been a breakout performer in his first full season, and they did well to add catcher Walker Janek and right-hander Ryan Forcucci atop this year's draft haul,” Reuter wrote.

To remain a top team in the American League as the Astros have been is costly. They haven’t advanced to seven straight AL Championship Series without being aggressive and making moves when the need arose.

High-end prospect talent is currently lacking, but they do have one Tier 1 player remaining in outfielder Jacob Melton. Matthews could rise to Tier one if he keeps up the great performance he has shown this season.

The only team that is behind Houston in the farm system rankings is the San Diego Padres. They unloaded four top-10 prospects ahead of the deadline in a flurry of moves to upgrade their bullpen.

The Padres were the No. 1 faller on Reuter’s list. They went from No. 24 ahead of the deadline to last place, No. 30, after it.