New Year's Eve means champagne, countdowns, and a long hard look in the mirror for every MLB farm system.
Baseball America just dropped their 2026 New Year's resolutions for all 30 organizations—a franchise-by-franchise breakdown of what each club needs to accomplish before Opening Day. Some goals are achievable. Others are wishful thinking. All of them reveal how the baseball establishment views the league's developmental pipelines heading into the new year.
Here's what stands out.
The Rockies need Charlie Condon to be Charlie Condon
Colorado finished 2025 with the worst record in baseball, owns arguably the weakest farm system in the league, and wasn't even eligible for a top draft lottery pick. That's not a rebuild. That's a reckoning.
Condon, their 2024 first-rounder, didn't exactly light the minors on fire in his first professional season. But he started finding his swing late in the year, and the Rockies need that momentum to carry into 2026. If he doesn't produce when he inevitably gets the call, the Paul DePodesta era in Denver starts with a massive hole at its center.
The Cardinals are quietly building something interesting
Chaim Bloom is planting seeds. JJ Wetherholt has ascended to one of the game's premier prospects. Rainiel Rodriguez now sits inside the Top 100 with legitimate thump. The system is trending upward, even if injuries to Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby created setbacks.
Baseball America's resolution for St. Louis: stay the course. This isn't a farm system that needs dramatic overhaul—it needs patience and health.
The Nationals need to prove the hype was real
Washington graduated Dylan Crews, Brady House, and Daylen Lile to the majors in 2025. Only Lile has settled in as a consistent contributor. Scouts also delivered lukewarm feedback on 2024 picks Seaver King and Caleb Lomavita.
The Nats added Eli Willits as the No. 1 overall pick, which helps, but Baseball America's message is clear: turning potential into results will determine whether this system delivers on its promise or remains stuck in the "promising on paper" category.
The Padres have almost nothing left
San Diego vaporized their farm at the trade deadline pursuing another World Series run. They didn't graduate much to the majors either, and Ethan Salas missed most of the year with a back injury.
The bright spot: Miguel Mendez broke out in the lower minors. But that's a thin silver lining for a system that's been stripped to its studs. The Padres will need creative solutions in 2026.
The Mets built something sustainable
David Stearns' player development overhaul is bearing fruit. Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat all made MLB debuts late in 2025. Position prospects Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Jett Williams, Jacob Reimer, and Ryan Clifford are pushing toward the majors.
"We collectively feel that winning is a huge part of player development," director of hitting Jeff Albert told Baseball America. "It is generally indicative of the quality and depth of your system if you can win games."
New York's system might not be flashy, but it's producing. And producing matters more than prospect rankings ever will.
The D-backs need their top prospects to wake up
Arizona added depth at the deadline, but their top five prospects entering 2025 all either struggled, got hurt, or slid in the rankings. Strong seasons from Ryan Waldschmidt and Slade Caldwell offset some damage, and Tim Tawa emerged as a legit contributor.
But the Diamondbacks won't return to October without getting more out of the top of their pipeline.
The full Baseball America breakdown covers every organization—from the A's graduating Jacob Wilson and likely Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz to the Brewers' continued development wizardry.
Some systems need miracles. Others just need time.
Happy New Year. The clock resets in 72 hours.