Following the draft lottery, the Brewers spot in the 2025 draft is set
As part of the MLB Winter Meetings, the MLB Draft Lottery took place for the 2025 draft. The Washington Nationals came out as the winners, taking the top spot for next year’s draft. The Angels and Mariners took the second and third spots to round out the top three. The Nationals had the fourth-best odds at 10.2%. Meanwhile, the teams tied for the top odds (Rockies and Marlins at 22.45%) will draft fourth and seventh, respectively.
Even though the White Sox had the worst record in MLB after the 2024 season, they were ineligible for this year’s draft lottery. Since they pay into revenue-sharing, they cannot be selected for a spot at the top of the draft in consecutive years. They also are not allowed to draft before the 10th pick, so that is where they will draft. The Athletics were also ineligible since they have been selected in three straight lotteries, and will pick 11th.
With the draft lottery done, the Brewers‘ position in the 2025 draft is set. They will have the 20th pick. Their position is set by their finish in the 2024 postseason, along with their revenue-sharing status as a receiver. The Brewers are also set to make three selections in the first 35 picks for now. As of today, they will receive the 29th pick following Willy Adames’ signing with the Giants. They will also get the pick right after that, at the start of Competitive Balance Round A. The Brewers were awarded a pick in Round A for the next draft, and since they had the best finish of the teams in that group, they will get the first pick of the group.
The order will shift a little, though. Three other free agents (Corbin Burnes, Anthony Santander, and Christian Walker) also have draft pick compensation attached to them that could place them before Competitive Balance Round A. If any of those players sign for at least $50 million, their previous teams will also receive compensation before the round. All three players are predicted to sign deals for over $50 million (per MLB Trade Rumors). Since all three players were on teams that had “worse” finishes than the Brewers, they would slot in ahead of the Brewers’ current pick at number 29.
Assuming everything falls into place as explained above, the Brewers’ picks will likely drop three spots. Their first-round pick will remain set at number 20. They will then have the last pick before Competitive Balance Round A (at number 32) and the first pick of Competitive Balance Round A (at number 33).
Here is the full order of the first 40 picks as it stands today:
- Nationals
- Angels
- Mariners
- Rockies
- Cardinals
- Pirates
- Marlins
- Blue Jays
- Reds
- White Sox
- Athletics
- Rangers
- Giants
- Rays
- Red Sox
- Twins
- Cubs
- Diamondbacks
- Orioles
- Brewers
- Astros
- Braves
- Royals
- Tigers
- Padres
- Phillies
- Guardians
- Royals (awarded for Bobby Witt Jr’s second-place AL MVP finish)
- Brewers (compensation for Willy Adames)
- Brewers (Competitive Balance Round A)
- Tigers
- Mariners
- Twins
- Rays
- Reds
- Athletics
- Mariners
- Mets (end of Round 1, dropped 10 spots as Competitive Balance Tax penalty)
- Yankees
- Dodgers