The fourth annual MLB Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday night in Orlando, Florida. Much like the Rule 5 Draft, the draft lottery has become something of a tradition that baseball fans look forward to watching as part of the backdrop of the MLB Winter Meetings.
As part of the collective bargaining agreement a few years back, both the league and Player's Association agreed to install the MLB Draft Lottery as a means to help curb low-budget teams from completely tanking in an effort to get the best possible draft pick.
Before the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery was held, the Baltimore Orioles held a 9.24% chance of securing the No. 1 overall pick. But fortune did not favor the O's during Tuesday evening's event, and Baltimore now owns the No. 7 pick. Had the draft lottery not been installed, the Orioles would've been picking No. 4. Instead, they dropped three spots and could miss out on one of the top talents in next year's draft.
This is unwelcome news for an Orioles fanbase that watched their favorite team lay an egg in 2025. Now having lost ground in next year's draft thanks to the lottery, Baltimore's failures last season are all the more magnified.
The Orioles' learn their fate after the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery
In years past, the MLB Draft Lottery has seen at least one long shot — the Cleveland Guardians two years ago — land the No. 1 overall pick, and the team with the best odds to win has yet to get the first pick in the draft.
In 2022, the Pittsburgh Pirates moved up to the No. 1 spot and drafted NL Cy Young Award-winner Paul Skenes. The following year, the Guardians leapfrogged nearly everyone with a meager 2% chance to secure the first pick in the draft. Last winter, it was the Washington Nationals who landed pick No. 1, and later drafted Eli Willts.
It's far too soon to speculate who will go No. 1 overall in 2026, but Orioles fans now know where Baltimore will be picking next summer. The Chicago White Sox won the MLB Draft Lottery and will pick first next July.
