MLB Insider Keith Law Ranks Seattle Mariners Farm System as Best in Baseball

Keith Law of The Athletic has said that the M's have the best prospect group in baseball, which is great news for an organization that has hardly done anything at the major league level this offseason.
Seattle Mariners second base Cole Young (92) hits against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning at American Family Fields of Phoenix in 2024.
Seattle Mariners second base Cole Young (92) hits against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning at American Family Fields of Phoenix in 2024. / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
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It's been a tough offseason for the Seattle Mariners and their fans. After missing the playoffs by just one game in 2024, the M's have done virtually nothing to help improve themselves in 2025.

The M's have made a handful of intriguing minor league signings, should get Matt Brash back by the end of April, and signed veteran infielder Donovan Solano, but there hasn't been a whole lot this offseason to get excited about.

On the minor league side of things? It's the exact opposite.

The M's have featured prominently in recent prospect rankings from Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, and it's no different with The Athletic, where insider Keith Law said that the Mariners have the best farm system in the sport.

They’ve drafted extremely well in the last seven years, at least, and their last three international free agent classes all look very good out of the chute. They had a rare opportunity with three picks in the top 30 in 2023 and went all-in, taking three high-upside high school hitters, one of whom is in the top 10 already (Colt Emerson) and another might be a star if he comes back all the way from a torn ACL (Jonny Farmelo). It was a huge year for teenagers in Seattle’s system taking steps forward; most of these guys were in their system a year ago, when I ranked them 20th, but other than Farmelo’s injury, the Mariners had almost everything go right for them in 2024, including real improvements in performance and skills from all of their top-100 prospects. This ranking comes after they traded two guys who would have been in their top 15 in the Randy Arozarena trade, making it even more impressive that they can still rank up here.

Emerson, Cole Young, Farmelo and Laz Montes all yield excitement in various ways, while infielder Michael Arroyo has turned heads also.

It should be noted that all of the Mariners top prospects are position players, after the system was previously stocked with pitchers like George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo.

Young is likely the only M's top prospect that will make an impact this season, with others slated to debut in 2026 and beyond. Young could earn significant time at second base if the team fails to address the position further.

The Mariners report to spring training in Peoria, Ariz. in just about two weeks. Major league Opening Day is March 27 with most levels of the minors opening on April 5.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.