2026 MLB Draft Lottery: Winners and Losers

The Chicago White Sox are officially on the clock for the 2026 MLB Draft.

While chaos erupted farther down the lottery order, it will be the White Sox who grab the first overall selection after entering the lottery with the best odds.

This is the first time the franchise has held the top spot since 1977, when they selected future Hall of Famer Harold Baines out of St. Michael’s High in Maryland. This will be the fourth time the Sox have chosen in the top five in the past 10 drafts.

That aforementioned chaos will help create plenty of interesting draft strategies come July 11, which is something that makes the MLB draft different from its counterparts.

A lot of this is due to the revenue-sharing rules. This process tries to eliminate tanking for a high draft pick by blocking teams from picking higher than 10th based on their revenue-sharing status. The Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles Angels were victims of this rule this time around.

The San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago White Sox will be ineligible to pick higher than 10th in 2027 as a result of the same revenue-sharing rules.

As of December 9, 2025, here is the order of the top 40 picks:

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Washington Nationals
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Miami Marlins
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Texas Rangers
17. Houston Astros
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Cleveland Guardians
20. Boston Red Sox
21. San Diego Padres
22. Detroit Tigers
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Seattle Mariners
25. Milwaukee Brewers
26. Atlanta Braves (PPI Pick for Drake Baldwin)
27. New York Mets (CBT 10-pick penalty)
28. Houston Astros (PPI Pick for Hunter Brown)
29. Cleveland Guardians (CB-A)
30. Kansas City Royals (CB-A)
31. Arizona Diamondbacks (CB-A)
32. St. Louis Cardinals (CB-A)
33. Baltimore Orioles (CB-A)
34. Pittsburgh Pirates (CB-A)
35. New York Yankees (CBT 10-pick penalty)
36. Philadelphia Phillies (CBT 10-pick penalty)
37. Colorado Rockies (CB-A)
38. Colorado Rockies (Round 2)
39. Toronto Blue Jays (CBT 10-pick penalty)
40. Los Angeles Dodgers (CBT 10-pick penalty)

The full draft order is not finalized until after free agency concludes, thanks to the qualifying offer’s draft pick compensation. As of now, the Arizona Diamondbacks are the lone team that is expected to receive a compensation pick after the conclusion of the first round (Zac Gallen).

For fans who wish to explore more about the top players available in this class, we will direct you to our Top 50 Prep and College lists.

After this year’s lottery, there are some clear winners and losers. Let’s dive into them.

Draft Lottery Winners

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants were the biggest winners of the night, jumping eleven spots from the fifteenth-best odds to pick fourth overall in a talent-rich draft class. This will be the Giants’ highest selection in the draft since drafting Joey Bart second overall in 2018.

As a result of the massive jump, the Giants will add a ton of signing bonus money to their allotted pool this July. Signing bonuses won’t be released until 2026, but utilizing 2025’s structure, this move adds ~$3.7 million to their bonus pool. This will likely be larger, considering there should be an uptick in signing bonus figures of roughly 2%.

Unfortunately, in 2027, the Giants will not be able to pick in the top ten due to revenue-sharing rules, though I don’t think many people in their building will be complaining due to tonight’s result, especially Michael Holmes.

Tampa Bay Rays

Unlike the Giants, the Rays’ jump into the lottery picks wasn’t as big, but it pays significant dividends for their 2026 pool. Projected outside the top six initially, the Rays will select second overall, giving them a real chance to grab a big fish out of this year’s class. This is their first top-five selection since Brendan McKay (fourth overall) in 2017.

Using the figures referenced previously, the jump to second overall will give the Rays an additional $3.2 million in bonus pool money, which may get higher with upcoming jumps in figures. This will give Chuck Ricci and company plenty of wiggle room to get weird with strategy in 2026.

Kansas City Royals

Boasting the second-highest jump in this year’s lottery, the Royals were launched ten spots forward into the lottery. They will pick sixth on July 11th, their seventh top-ten selection in the past eight drafts. However, Brian Bridges will be giddy about their spot regardless.

This jump in draft slots will equal a $2.7 million jump in allotted bonus pool money, something that Bridges is not afraid to play around with. In 2025 alone, Bridges brought in a ton of prep talent, including the likes of Sean Gamble, Josh Hammond, and Grayson Boles. Expect 2026 to be the same.

Draft Lottery Losers

Pittsburgh Pirates

Unfortunately for the Pirates, the team dropped outside of their projected top-three placement, falling to fifth in the order. As a result, the club likely loses ~$1.4-1.5 million in bonus pool money, though this may just be a small dent in a bonus pool that could be one of the biggest in this year’s class. However, it’s still a tough pill to swallow.

To add insult to injury, the Pirates will not be eligible to select higher than 10th in the 2027 draft class. After selecting back-to-back seasons in the lottery, their status as beneficiaries in the revenue-sharing system will hamper their efforts in the following cycle. It’s a tough blow for the organization, though they do find themselves on solid footing in 2026 despite the slip in the order.

St. Louis Cardinals

While the Cardinals didn’t have projected odds within the lottery selections, their fall to thirteenth overall is a big blow to their efforts in 2026.

Their slip in the lottery may have ultimately cost the team upwards of $1.75-2 million in allotted bonus pool money, adjusting for the inflated figure we’ll see later in the cycle. It’ll tighten up their strategy, which did lean heavily to the collegiate side in 2025.

Baltimore Orioles/Athletics

The Orioles have found themselves falling out of the lottery in favor of the Giants and Royals, which will impede their efforts in July. Their fall will cost them roughly $1 million, utilizing 2025 figures, and that number should grow as we inch closer to the draft.

The Athletics found themselves in the same boat as the O’s. While the drop in 2025 figures comes out to ~$700K, the number should grow closer to $1 million within due time. It’s an unfortunate result for the team, especially considering their success in 2025’s draft, though having a boost into the top ten after last year’s exclusion should alleviate some pressure.