ORLANDO, Fla. — The MLB draft will not take place for eight more months, but the Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to land a top prospect in 2026.
The Chicago White Sox will have the first overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft after winning the league’s Draft Lottery Tuesday night at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, as they finished the 2025 season with the second-worst record in baseball and had the best odds of securing the top spot.
The Rays also made a big move up the board, landing the No. 2 overall pick despite entering the lottery with only a 3% chance of jumping that high.
The first round of the 2026 MLB Draft will be held Jul. 12 in Philadelphia.
Victims identified from Sunday shooting outside Clearwater sports bar
Officials said the incident happened just before 8 p.m. on Dec. 7 when multiple calls came in about gunfire near the South Highland Avenue business.
