Chicago White Sox, you are on the clock.

Following the 2025 MLB Draft Lottery, the White Sox will select first overall in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Chicago entered the lottery with the best odds at garnering the first selection at 27.73%, making them the second team in the lottery’s short history to enter with the best odds and come away with the top selection (Pittsburgh, 2023).

As part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in 2022, the lottery was put in place as an attempt to keep teams from “tanking” and creating competitive balance through competitive inbalance, in which all non-playoff teams would be eligible for a top six selection with particular restraints.

Percentages for the lottery are based on reverse order of the previous season’s standings, with some exclusions. Despite having the worst record in baseball in 2025, the Colorado Rockies were ineligible for a lottery selection and could not pick higher than 10th overall.

Under lottery rules, teams that receive revenue sharing cannot select in the lottery for three consecutive seasons, while teams that pay into revenue sharing cannot select in the lottery in consecutive years.

The Rockies became ineligible as revenue payees who had selected in the lottery each of the last two drafts; while the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles — both of which pay into revenue sharing — selected within the lottery last draft as the first two picks. The three clubs cannot make a selection before the 10th pick and will be in succession by reverse standings (Colorado, 10th; Washington, 11th; Los Angeles, 12th).

Though being able to select ahead of your opponents, the bonus pool era of the draft has seen the higher selections have more importance from slot bonuses and money granted to spend in a club’s bonus pool.

In the 2025 lottery, three clubs made notable bonus pool gains with their lottery selections in the Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays. Utilizing previous slot bonuses, San Francisco will gain over $3.656 million in their bonus pool; Tampa Bay will see a $3.102 million increase; and Kansas City will have a $2.629 million increase.

With the risers come the fallers, in the likes of the Minnesota Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks who fall one spot in the draft order; Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers who fell two spots; Baltimore Orioles, Athletics and Atlanta Braves who all fell three spots in order; and the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins who fell five spots. The difference in pool for each team will see a slot bonus decrease ranging from $383,500 to $1.621 million.

Unofficial 2026 MLB Draft Order

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 Marlnis
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 (Prospect Promotion Incentive; Drake Baldwin winning NL Rookie of the Year)
27. New York Mets (10-pick penalty for exceeding second competitive balance tax threshold)
28. Houston Astros (Prospect Promotion Incentive; Hunter Brown finishing Top 3 in AL Cy Young voting)
29. Cleveland Guardians (Competitive Balance A)
30. Kansas City Royals (Competitive Balance A)
31. Arizona Diamondbacks (Competitive Balance A)
32. St. Louis Cardinals (Competitive Balance A)
33. Baltimore Orioles (Competitive Balance A)
34. Pittsburgh Pirates (Competitive Balance A)
35. New York Yankees (10-pick penalty for exceeding second competitive balance tax threshold)
36. Philadelphia Phillies (10-pick penalty for exceeding second competitive balance tax threshold)
37. Colorado Rockies (Competitive Balance A)
38. Colorado Rockies (2nd Round)
39. Toronto Blue Jays (10-pick penalty for exceeding second competitive balance tax threshold)
40. Los Angeles Dodgers (10-pick penalty for exceeding second competitive balance tax threshold)

The top of the 2026 MLB Draft Class is led by UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky who is seen as the top amateur draft prospect since Bryce Harper in 2010 and most well-rounded shortstop prospect since Alex Rodriguez in 1993, with many early expectations that he could go lottery to draft day at the top prospect and first pick.

The Sporting Tribune’s coverage of the MLB Draft and prospects involved can be followed throughout the spring via TST’s social media pages.

TST Draft Team:

• Taylor Blake Ward
• Thomas Murray
• Fredo Cervantes
• Sabrina McClain
• Jack Haslett