The landscape for the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft began to crystallise on Monday, December 2, 2025. The league officially announced the complete order for the special Competitive Balance Round A and Round B selections, giving franchises a clearer picture of their draft capital ahead of the main event.
Understanding the Competitive Balance Rounds
These unique rounds are a cornerstone of MLB's strategy to maintain parity across the league. Instituted in 2017, they employ a formula that considers a club's revenue, market size, and regular-season winning percentage to determine eligibility. The primary goal is to provide smaller-market teams with additional opportunities to acquire young talent, helping them compete with wealthier franchises. This year, a total of 15 teams have been awarded picks across the two rounds.
The final sequence for these rounds is based on the 2025 regular-season standings, ordered from the best record to the worst. Competitive Balance Round A will slot in after the first-round compensation picks and before the second round. Meanwhile, Competitive Balance Round B will take place immediately after the conclusion of the second round.
Full List of Teams Receiving Extra Picks
Major League Baseball confirmed the following order for the coveted extra selections:
Competitive Balance Round A Picks:
- Cleveland Guardians
- Kansas City Royals
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Baltimore Orioles
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Colorado Rockies
Competitive Balance Round B Picks:
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Seattle Mariners
- Detroit Tigers
- Cincinnati Reds
- Miami Marlins
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Oakland A’s
- Minnesota Twins
Key Rules and Implications for Teams
These selections hold a distinct advantage in the MLB ecosystem: they are the only draft picks that teams are permitted to trade. An MLB spokesperson reiterated this crucial point on Monday, emphasising that once awarded, these picks cannot be forfeited unless they have been involved in a prior trade transaction. "These rounds help level the playing field," the official stated. "Clubs rely on them every year as a vital tool for roster construction."
However, the draft order remains partially incomplete. The coveted top six selections in the first round are still to be decided by the MLB Draft Lottery, scheduled for December 9, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. The Chicago White Sox enter that lottery with the highest odds of securing the number one pick, at 27.73%. Notably, the Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles Angels are ineligible for the lottery's top picks this year due to existing MLB rules.
How Major Free Agents Create Additional Picks
The draft order can still expand for certain teams based on the movement of high-profile free agents. MLB's compensation rules grant extra picks to teams that lose players who rejected a qualifying offer. This mechanism has already been triggered.
Since pitcher Dylan Cease signed a seven-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on November 30, 2025, his former club, the San Diego Padres, will receive an additional compensation pick after the conclusion of Round 4. Several other unsigned stars who rejected qualifying offers could generate further picks for their former teams. This list includes:
- Kyle Schwarber
- Ranger Suárez
- Bo Bichette
- Framber Valdez
- Edwin Díaz
- Michael King
The final value and placement of these compensation picks will depend on the contract size and the signing team's market status. This adds another layer of strategy to the ongoing free agency period, as clubs weigh the loss of a star against the gain of a valuable draft asset.
