Interesting times for our farm system. Obviously we've taken a pretty big hit over the last few years with trades and guys like Yordan/Tucker inevitably being promoted. And the loss of 1st/2nd round picks the next couple years definitely hurts the replenishing process. But unlike ~2005-2011 when I think we basically only produced 3 big league caliber talents (Pence, Lyles and Norris), I think our system right now is sufficient to sustain our needs going forward and buy us some time to restock.
1) We've got some young pitchers with really good stuff who are "close". We've got two more firm years with JV, Greinke and LMJ, so guys like Abreu, Whitley, Perez, Urquidy, Valdez, etc have some time to groom.
2) These rankings don't include Pedro Leon, who will almost certainly be a top 100 prospect when he starts up. Between Leon, Nova, Korey Lee and Jeremy Pena, we've got some guys with bright futures who don't have to be rushed. I suspect at least 3 of those 4 guys will be top 100 in the next year or two.
3) Lastly, it's much easier these days to fill holes in the position lineup via free agency. The days of journeymen 2B like Kaz Matsui getting a 3-year/$20 million deal are over. Market right now gets big money to the elites and cheap contracts for the journeymen. So if necessary, we could plug holes cheaply via this route. We also have some big league ready young guys like Toro and Straw who can help bridge gaps as we start losing a few position players to free agency.