US EditionWhite Sox Win MLB Draft Lottery and Have Top Pick for First Time Since Taking Harold Baines in 1977
The White Sox secured the No. 1 pick with the best lottery odds at 27.73%, their first top selection since 1977 to rebuild after a 102-loss season.
- On Dec. 9, 2025, the Chicago White Sox won the 2026 MLB draft lottery at the Winter Meetings in Orlando and secured the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since Harold Baines in 1977.
- The lottery was created as part of the March 2022 CBA to curb tanking, with eligibility rules barring teams from consecutive picks and excluding 'payor clubs' like the Rockies, Angels, and Nationals this year.
- Notably, the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals, with 1.01% and 0.84% odds respectively, moved into the top six in the lottery,
- The 2026 MLB Draft will take place July 11-12 in Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh's lottery pick bars the Pirates from selecting higher than 10th in the 2027 MLB Draft, league officials and independent auditors confirmed.
- Past winners show the lottery's potential, as Paul Skenes signed for $9.2 million and earned major awards, while UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is projected top prospect and the Mets moved back 10 spots due to Competitive Balance Tax after a payroll of more than $341 million.
58 Articles
58 Articles
Pioneer Press
Twins drop one spot, receive No. 3 overall pick in 2026 draft
ORLANDO — When 5 p.m. approached on Tuesday and Derek Falvey’s phone still hadn’t rung, the Twins’ president of baseball and business operations came to the natural conclusion: the team had not landed the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. “You’re waiting and you’re like, ‘It’s 5. They would have called by now. This isn’t great,’” Falvey said. No, the luck of the ping pong balls was not on the Twins’ side on Tuesday afternoon — they had the second…
Chicago White Sox win the 2026 MLB draft lottery, will have the No. 1 pick for the first time in 49 years
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Chicago White Sox are on the clock. The Sox received the No. 1 pick for the 2026 Major League Baseball draft after winning Tuesday’s draft lottery, held during the annual winter meetings. “It’s a significant event for us,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “And it can’t be understated how important it is. We’ve been hard at work at bringing talent into the organization in different ways and obviously the amateur draft is a…
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