MLB Draft 2026: Full first-round order, bonus picks, and Competitive Balance selections

Yes it is that time of year, friends.

MLB Draft time.

While the drafts for the other major sports generate a significant amount of buzz each year — especially the NFL Draft which has become an event of its own — the MLB Draft tends to slide under the radar a bit. Whether it is the length of the draft itself (the MLB Draft lasts 20 rounds, compared to seven for the NFL Draft and just two for the NBA Draft) or the fact that many players spend a year, or more, in the minors, the MLB Draft is not the hotbed of excitement that its counterparts are.

Still, starting Saturday in Philadelphia over 600 prospects will hear their name called, and perhaps begin a journey that could land them in the All-Star Game someday.

Before things get underway, a word on the structure of the first round.

The draft order is set using a lottery system, featuring the 18 teams that did not make the playoffs the previous season. That order gives the team with the worst-overall record from the prior season the best odds at securing the top selection, and sets the first six selections. The next 12 selections, from the non-playoff teams, are determined using a worst-to-best method based on their regular season records.

Following those 18 teams, the rest of the first round picks are slotted in based on where those teams finished in the playoffs, building to the World Series winner receiving the final pick of the first round.

But before the second round begins, there are a few more segments to the first round.

Up next are the “Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks.” According to MLB Draft rules, if a player was rated as a preseason Top 100 prospect by two of the following outlets — MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, or ESPN — was on a team’s Opening Day roster and goes on to win Rookie of the Year or place in the top three in MVP or Cy Young voting prior to reaching arbitration, that team is awarded a Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick” after the first round. This year two teams have such selections: The Atlanta Braves (who will pick at No. 26 due to Drake Baldwin winning the National League Rookie of the Year award) and the Houston Astros (who will pick at No. 28 due to Hunter Brown finishing third in American League Cy Young voting).

You will notice that there is a team picking at No. 27. That would be the New York Mets, who were penalized ten spots for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the MLB Competitive Balance Tax (CBT). That drops the Mets from No. 17 down to No. 27, and this is not a Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick.

Up next are Compensation Picks, awarded to teams that: Are a revenue-sharing recipient, lose a qualifying free agent, and that free agent signs for at least $50 million. Those teams would receive a pick in this spot. However, no such teams qualified under this category for the 2026 MLB Draft.

Finally, there is the “Competitive Balance Round A.” Since 2017, MLB has used a formula combining revenue, winning percentage, and “market score” to award picks in the MLB Draft to teams that fall in the bottom ten in revenue, or market size. This year, 15 teams qualified, with seven slotted into Competitive Balance Round A (which takes place at the end of the first round) and eight into Competitive Balance Round B (taking place at the end of the second round). The order is determined by order of finish the previous year, best-to-worst.

In addition, the groups of teams alternate between Round A and Round B each year.

This year, the seven teams picking in Competitive Balance Round A in order are: The Cleveland Guardians, the Kansas City Royals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Baltimore Orioles, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Colorado Rockies.

Interestingly enough, these are the only picks in the MLB Draft that can be traded.

So how does this portion of the MLB Draft impact the first round? The Guardians would be on the clock at pick No. 29, but that selection was sent to the San Francisco Giants in the Patrick Bailey trade, so it will be the Giants on the clock at No. 29. Then the Royals at No. 30, the Diamondbacks at No. 31, and the Cardinals at No. 32. Baltimore would be up next, but the Orioles moved that pick to the Tampa Bay Rays in the Shane Baz trade, so Tampa will be on the clock at 33, followed by the Pirates at 34.

Then come the New York Yankees at 35 and the Philadelphia Phillies at 36.

We can hear you now, so to answer your question, both teams were handed ten-spot penalties on their first pick for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the CBT. So like the Mets earlier, the Yankees dropped from 25 to No. 35, and the Phillies dropped from No. 26 to No. 36.

Finally, the Rockies close out the first round at No. 37.

So, here is the order for the 2026 MLB First round, noting that the Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks begin at No. 26 with the Atlanta Braves, and the Competitive Balance Round A picks begin at No. 29 with the San Francisco Giants.