The order of the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft will become official tonight at 5:30 ET when MLB Network broadcasts the league's fourth annual Draft Lottery live from the Winter Meetings in Orlando, with a simulcast also streaming on MLB.com and in the MLB App.
The Draft Lottery will determine the first six spots of the first round -- the most of any major sport -- and the remaining picks will go to the unselected teams with the worst records from the 2025 season. Each team's odds of winning are weighted so that teams at the bottom of the standings have the highest probability of securing a high pick. That also means that the team with the best odds of winning the top pick could select as late as seventh.
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Postseason teams are not entered into the lottery, and 15 of the 18 non-playoff teams are eligible this season, with the Rockies, Nationals and Angels excluded. Since the Rockies received a lottery pick in the 2024 and '25 Drafts, they are not eligible for this year’s lottery -- teams cannot receive a lottery pick in more than two consecutive years. The Nationals and Angels are “payor clubs” -- teams that give rather than receive revenue sharing dollars -- and payors cannot receive a lottery pick in consecutive years. Furthermore, non-playoff teams that are ineligible for the lottery may not receive better than the 10th overall pick, so the Rockies, Nationals and Angels will draft 10th, 11th and 12th in 2026, respectively.
Last year, the Nationals won the lottery despite 10.2 percent odds and selected prep shortstop Eli Willits (WSH No. 1/MLB No. 15) with the No. 1 overall pick. The Guardians ('24) and Pirates ('23) won the previous two lotteries, using those selections to draft Travis Bazzana (CLE No. 1/MLB No. 17) and Paul Skenes (‘23) respectively.
This year, the odds of receiving the No. 1 pick range from 27.73 percent for the eligible team with the worst record (White Sox) to 0.34 percent for the team with the best record among non-playoff clubs (Astros). Here are those odds, with each team's 2025 winning percentage in parentheses:
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27.73 percent – White Sox (.370)
22.18 – Twins (.432)
16.81 – Pirates (.438)
9.24 – Orioles (.463)
6.55 – A’s (.469)
4.54 – Braves (.469)
3.03 – Rays (.475)
2.35 – Cardinals (.481)
1.85 – Marlins (.488)
1.51 – D-backs (.494)
1.34 – Rangers (.500)
1.01 – Giants (.500)
0.84 – Royals (.506)
0.67 – Mets (.512)
0.34 – Astros (.537)
0.0 – Rockies (.265 – ineligible for lottery pick)
0.0 – Nationals (.407 – ineligible for lottery pick)
0.0 – Angels (.444 – ineligible for lottery pick)
Follow along below for the full results of the lottery as they are revealed and watch the stream above or on MLB Network as the results are announced.
Follow along below for the full results of the lottery as they are revealed and watch the stream above or on MLB Network as Greg Amsinger and former White Sox general manager Rick Hahn provide analysis.