By MATT PIKE
The Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals both got reprieve from the rumors swirling around both teams during the MLB Winter Meetings, learning where they will be picking next summer in the 2026 MLB Draft during All Star Weekend.
For the first time, the Royals were big winners in the MLB's lottery system, as they were awarded the number six pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. Kansas City entered the day with 13th best odds at landing top pick in the draft, a 0.8% chance. If the Royals hadn’t gotten a lottery pick, they would have picked 16th.
Non-lottery picks are determined by inverse order of the teams’ regular-season records, and there were three teams, the Angels, Rockies and Nationals, that weren’t eligible for the lottery this year. The Royals have selected sixth two other times in their history, including Zack Greinke in 2002 and Caglianone in 2024.
With the Draft Lottery completed, the Draft order is set. In addition to No. 6, the Royals will also have a Competitive Balance A pick next year at No. 30. The 2026 Draft will be held July 12 in Philadelphia as part of All-Star festivities, and the White Sox will be making the number one overall pick.
The Cardinals drew the #13 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. St. Louis went into Tuesday with MLB’s eighth-best odds for the top pick, 2.35%, but they dropped below the Rockies and Nationals. It is the second time in three seasons the Cards fell below their slot in the odds. In 2023, they fell from the fifth-best odds to number seven where they landed infielder JJ Wetherholt.
The Draft Lottery was a reprieve from the numerous trade talks the Cards front office have had with other teams interested in dealing for their established veterans. Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras are the biggest names possibly on the move, but standout utility fielder Brendan Donovan has drawn interest from 18 MLB teams, per a source.
The Mariners, Royals, Astros and Rays have been the most aggressive suitors, per that same source, but the Cardinals want to be diligent in dealing to make sure they extract the maximum prospect capital in return for their lone All-Star in 2025. Not far behind Donovan, in terms of interest from other clubs, is lefty reliever JoJo Romero, who is drawing interest from the Yankees, Rays, Astros, Tigers and D-backs, per a source.
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