Tanking has long been a thing in professional sports, but it rose to the forefront in MLB a little over a decade ago as both the Astros and Cubs got comfortable with the idea of intentionally losing 90+ games. It was a means to the end of drafting as high as possible and “developing” those players into core pieces of a championship run. While both teams have experienced ultimate success, Houston has clearly done a better job of sustaining it as a result of a stronger and more consistent development infrastructure.
The Cubs didn’t so much develop prospects as correctly identify high first-round picks and young trade targets who’d be able to matriculate quickly through the minors.