LA Times lays out Dodgers’ overhyped, smoke-and-mirrors farm system plainly

On the surface, the Los Angeles Dodgers seem to have it all. A star-studded roster, a stranglehold over the international markets, pockets that have no end, and a top-ranked farm system are all assets on their ledger.

Some of these are without dispute. The financials are based on cold, hard numbers. The star power is evident every time they take the field. However, the prospect-based dominance isn't concrete, and instead is all based on the art of scouting.

Despite the subjectivity, the experts universally agree. Los Angeles has one of the best farms in the game. MLB Pipeline had the Dodgers ranked No. 1 in their midseason update last August. ESPN ranked LA's pipeline at No. 4 in their 2026 update.

It's been this way for years. The Dodgers are always at the top. However, when you look at the roster, it's really hard to find a homegrown star other than Will Smith. That in and of itself isn't a damning indictment. After all, Los Angeles has been a top title contender for years, and hasn't had the luxury of patience as it gears up for playoff run after playoff run. A lot of prospects, therefore, have been shipped out in service of fueling the dynasty. We should safely expect former Dodgers' prospects to be rising stars littering rosters around the league then.

Except, not quite. The LA Times did a deep dive into how Dodgers prospects have fared over the years, and the results are not pretty.

The LA Times exposes the propaganda machine known as the Dodgers' farm system

The list is exhaustive, but just a few examples will tell you all you need to know. The only player remaining on the Boston Red Sox roster from the Mookie Betts trade is Connor Wong, who subtracted 0.7 fWAR from their total last season. Alex Verdugo has fallen off to the point that he can hardly stick on a big league roster anymore. Jeter Downs made just 50 career plate appearances and spent last season in Japan.

The man who inspired the LA Times piece, Diego Cartaya, has seen his star fall dramatically, getting DFA'd, traded to the Minnesota Twins, cut by the Minnesota Twins, and then landing with the San Francisco Giants all over the course of a few short months.

Looking at the history, you might think that the Dodgers are simply good at selling high on flawed youngsters before they bust, but that's giving them too much credit. Gavin Lux was once the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball. The Dodgers could have used him as the headline piece in a package to land a star of their choosing. Instead, they held on to him for years as he performed as just an average player. Mike Sirota looks like a nice return for what Lux ended up being, but they could have gotten much more had they moved him at the height of his prospect buzz.

Even the most recent ascensions to the Dodgers' roster further the speculation that the system is all a big con. Dalton Rushing was looking like a can't-miss prospect until journeyman Ben Rortvedt pushed him out of the lineup during the postseason. Alex Freeland was highly regarded when he arrived last year, but now looks like he's already on the verge of being phased out of the club's future plans.

Somehow, the Dodgers have convinced the baseball world that they have a golden pipeline, but as the busts pile up, it will soon be obvious that it's all been smoke and mirrors.