Bradford Doolittle
Dec. 9, 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Chicago White Sox secured the top pick in the 2026 MLB draft, winning Tuesday’s draft lottery at the winter meetings.
Chicago entered the drawing with the best odds but only a 27.7% chance of landing the No. 1 selection. The club’s last top overall pick, Hall of Famer Harold Baines, represented the White Sox at the Hilton Signia ballroom as picks were revealed on the MLB TV broadcast. Baines, the 1977 top choice, said he was thrilled to be back with the organization and joked that his own experience in 1977 lacked the current “hoopla.”
“It’s a significant, significant event for us, and it can’t be overstated how important it is,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “We’ve been hard at work at bringing talent into the organization in different ways. Obviously, the amateur draft is an avenue, and now to be able to get a chance at the top talent in the draft is really exciting.”
The final two teams in the live reveal were the White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays, represented by former outfielder Brett Phillips. Phillips had suggested he might perform his airplane celebration if Tampa Bay won, but it was Chicago’s quieter celebration with Baines that prevailed.
Chicago is coming off a 121-loss season in 2024 — an MLB record — and a 102-loss 2025 campaign as Getz’s rebuild continued and younger players emerged. The No. 1 pick gives the club a chance to add a potential impact talent to the developing core.
One of the top names linked to the early part of the 2026 board is UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, who hit .353 with 23 homers and 74 RBIs in 66 games for the Bruins and has been called among the best shortstop prospects in years. Getz declined to preview specific targets but said the front office will dig deeper now that it holds the top selection. “There’s a couple guys that are standouts right now,” he said. “You’ve still got to do the work. You stay at it and you’re open-minded. But now that we’ve received the No. 1 pick, I’m fairly confident tonight I’ll be diving in a little bit more.”
Other notable lottery moves: the Kansas City Royals, represented by manager Matt Quatraro, jumped from 13th to sixth; the San Francisco Giants, represented by Randy Winn, moved from 12th to fourth. The New York Mets, because of their high luxury-tax status, needed to land in the top six to avoid dropping and instead fell out of the lottery, ending up with the 27th overall pick. The Mets also lost closer Edwin Díaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier Tuesday.
For the White Sox, the result was a bright moment amid a multi-year rebuild. “We’re busy — good busy,” Getz said. “But tonight, it’s really about getting the group together and celebrating the No. 1 pick.”
