SAN DIEGO -- Here we go again. The Padres traded away a treasure trove of prospects, and the baseball world is wondering how quickly they can revamp a depleted farm system. Sound familiar?

Judging by recent evidence, we should know the answer. Under general manager A.J. Preller, the Padres are more than capable of rebuilding their system -- and usually quickly. At the Trade Deadlines in 2020 and ’22, San Diego made similarly aggressive moves. On both occasions, its farm was replenished in short order.

“We think highly of that group,” Preller said of the prospects he traded away. “We expect those guys to pitch in the big leagues and do really good things. We also, though, are super excited about the group right behind those guys that were pushing those guys. In some ways, for us, when we talked about our system and our depth, that was a strength of ours. … We’ve got some guys that we feel pretty good about.”

They feel especially good about the two at the top. Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries -- the top players in the last two international signing classes -- remain 1-2 on the team’s re-ranked Top 30 prospects list, per MLB Pipeline. The rest of the list is littered with recent draftees and other young players who can begin to fill the voids left by the recent trades.

Perhaps naturally, the Padres were more bullish on the depth of their system than the industry at large. It’s a major reason why they were comfortable dealing 12 of their top 21 prospects from the preseason rankings. Those deals netted them Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez, Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing -- all key contributors. Plus…

“We have other good players in the system,” Preller said. “They can’t all play on the field at the same time.”

Here’s a look at the Padres top prospects:

1. Ethan Salas, C (MLB No. 20)
2. Leodalis De Vries, SS (No. 47)
3. Kash Mayfield, LHP
4. Boston Bateman, LHP
5. Humberto Cruz, RHP

Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed most from the preseason list:

Jump: Humberto Cruz, RHP (Preseason: NR | Midseason: No. 5)
The Padres made a couple minor trades to add international bonus-pool money, and with that additional money, they signed Cruz -- in addition to De Vries. It’s an impressive international class. Cruz, a 17-year-old right-hander, still has plenty of development ahead of him before he makes a big league impact. But his smooth delivery and consistent strike-throwing give him a clear high ceiling.

Fall: Ryan Bergert, RHP (Preseason: 13 | Midseason: 26)
Bergert has struggled to replicate his success from a 2023 season in which he posted a 2.73 ERA between High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. At Double-A this year, he has recorded a 5.60 ERA with a .304 batting average against.

New to the list

Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:

No. 3: Kash Mayfield, LHP (Draft, first round)
No. 4: Boston Bateman, LHP (Draft, second round)
No. 6: Kavares Tears, OF (Draft, fourth round)
No. 10: Kale Fountain, 3B (Draft, fifth round)
No. 14: Cobb Hightower, SS (Draft, third round)
No. 15: Tyson Neighbors, RHP (Draft, fourth round)
No. 25: Clark Candiotti, RHP (Draft, fourth round)

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Impact callup: RHP Alek Jacob (No. 16)
Jacob made only three appearances after his second-half callup last season, sidelined by a flexor strain in his right elbow. He worked his way back with his solid performance at Triple-A El Paso, then earned himself a callup before he was recently demoted with the Padres in need of fresh arms.

He’ll be back. Jacob allowed one run on four hits, while striking out a whopping 13 hitters across 6 1/3 innings. Even in a loaded bullpen, there’s a place for the sidearming right-hander, particularly because of his ability to cover multiple innings. He could be a crucial middle-innings arm down the stretch, setting the table for an elite back-end.

Best tools

Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 55 -- Leodalis De Vries
Power: 60 -- Kale Fountain
Run: 60 -- Leodalis De Vries (Cobb Hightower)
Arm: 60 -- Ethan Salas
Defense: 65 -- Ethan Salas
Fastball: 70 -- Bradgley Rodriguez (Francis Pena)
Curveball: 60 -- Boston Bateman (Tyson Neighbors)
Slider: 70 -- Tyson Neighbors
Changeup: 60 -- Bradgley Rodriguez (Kash Mayfield, Clark Candiotti)
Control: 55 -- Humberto Cruz (Kash Mayfield, Alek Jacob)