Chicago White Sox obtain first overall pick in the 2026 Major League draft; Tampa Bay Rays take second
Los Chicago White Sox they won the lottery of the draft of MLB of 2026 on Tuesday and they will choose in first place in it draft of the next summer.
The White Sox had the best odds to get the first pick, at 27.73%, after finishing the 2025 season with a 60-102 record. They will have the first pick for the first time since they selected Harold Baines in 1977.
Tuesday’s draft lottery determined the top six spots in the first round, with the remaining selections set in reverse order of the teams’ regular-season record.
Los Tampa Bay Rays will be selected in the number 2 position, and the third selection was for the Minnesota Twinswho had the second best odds of winning the lottery, at 22.18%. The other three lottery picks went to the San Francisco Giantslos Pittsburgh Pirates and the Kansas City Royals.
Los Colorado Rockiesthe league’s worst team (43-119), were not eligible for this year’s lottery because a team cannot receive a lottery pick in three consecutive years. They will select tenth in the draft.
Los Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Angels They were also ineligible because they are “contributing clubs,” meaning teams that contribute, rather than receive, revenue-sharing money, and cannot receive a lottery pick in consecutive years. The Nationals got the 11th pick, while the Angels will pick 12th overall.
MLB and the players’ association established the lottery in the March 2022 collective bargaining agreement. The union pushed for this innovation to encourage teams to compete for wins instead of trading players before the trade deadline in an attempt to get a higher draft pick.
The 2026 draft will take place July 11-12 in Philadelphia as part of the MLB All-Star Week festivities.
The Nationals won the lottery last year and selected high school shortstop Eli Willits with the first pick.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
