BURSTFor the first time in the three-year history of the MLB Draft Lottery, the Toronto Blue Jays are in the mix to land the first-overall pick.
After finishing with a 74-88 record in 2024, the Blue Jays will have the fifth-best odds of landing the first selection in the 2025 draft.
The lottery was introduced ahead of the 2023 season and determines the top six selections between the 18 clubs that don’t make the playoffs. The remaining picks among those teams are sorted by winning percentage.
It’s not a position any team enters a season aspiring to be in, but for the 16 set to partake in this year’s drawing, a lucky bounce from the ping pong balls could at least ease some of the frustration of missing out on the post-season.
The order for the 12 teams that make the playoffs is determined by when they are eliminated and their revenue-sharing status.
With all that established, here is what else you need to know about the 2025 MLB Draft Lottery:
WHERE AND WHEN CAN I WATCH THE LOTTERY?
The lottery will take place Tuesday from the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT and can be streamed on MLB.com.
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser will announce the results.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS EACH TEAM LANDS THE NO. 1 PICK?
1. Colorado Rockies, 22.45 per cent
2. Miami Marlins, 22.45 per cent
3. Los Angeles Angels, 17.96 per cent
4. Washington Nationals, 10.20 per cent
5. Toronto Blue Jays, 7.48 per cent
6. Pittsburgh Pirates, 5.31 per cent
7. Cincinnati Reds, 3.67 per cent
8. Texas Rangers, 2.45 per cent
9. San Francisco Giants, 1.90 per cent
10. Tampa Bay Rays, 1.50 per cent
11. Boston Red Sox, 1.22 per cent
12. Minnesota Twins, 1.09 per cent
13. St. Louis Cardinals, 0.82 per cent
14. Chicago Cubs, 0.68 per cent
15. Seattle Mariners, 0.53 per cent
16. Arizona Diamondbacks, 0.27 per cent
Chicago White Sox, ineligible
Athletics, ineligible
WHY ARE THE WHITE SOX AND ATHLETICS INELIGIBLE?
It’s a bit of a confusing process, but despite finishing in the bottom five of MLB by record, the Chicago White Sox and Athletics aren’t eligible to participate in the lottery and cannot pick higher than 10th and 11th.
The White Sox pay into MLB’s revenue-sharing system, which means they aren’t allowed to have lottery selections in two straight drafts. The Athletics, meanwhile, receive revenue sharing, meaning they aren’t allowed to have lottery picks three years in a row.
In 2024, the A’s and White Sox picked fourth and fifth in 2024, respectively, and in 2023, the A’s selected sixth.
The Washington Nationals were subject to the process in last year’s lottery, being forced to pick 10th in 2024 after having the second selection in 2023.
HOW DOES THE LOTTERY WORK?
Per Baseball America, “Ping pong balls are placed in an air-blown lottery machine that produces a ball labelled with a number every 15 seconds. Four balls are collected to create a four-digit code corresponding to a certain team.”
From there, the process continues until the top six selections have been decided.
HOW OFTEN HAVE THE BLUE JAYS PICKED IN THE TOP 10?
The Blue Jays have held a to-10 selection 13 times, dating back to their first draft in 1977. Their most recent top pick came in 2020, when they drafted Vanderbilt shortstop Austin Martin fifth overall. Martin was traded to the Minnesota Twins as part of the Jose Berrios deal in 2021.
Toronto has never held the No. 1 selection but picked second in 1978, 1980 and 1982. The most notable player to come from those picks was Lloyd Moseby in 1978, who went on to become an All-Star, Silver Slugger and play in 12 big-league seasons.
WHO WON THE FIRST TWO LOTTERIES?
The first-ever Draft Lottery went as expected, as the Pittsburgh Pirates were tied for the best odds (16.1 per cent) and won the pick that eventually landed them 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes.
Last year, however, the Cleveland Guardians got a fortunate bounce, earning the first-overall pick with just a two per cent shot of winning the lottery. They ultimately snagged infielder Travis Bazzana atop the 2024 draft.
WHICH PLAYERS COULD GO NO. 1 IN 2025?
Ethan Holliday, brother of 2022 first-overall pick Jackson and son of former All-Star outfielder Matt, figures to be the top high school player off the board next June. A six-foot-four, 200-pound shortstop, Ethan is committed to Oklahoma State but, thanks to his advanced power and pedigree, seems destined to be MLB-bound as one of the first names taken in 2025.
On the college side, Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette is posed for a monster season in the SEC. The 2024 First-Team All-American slashed .305/.449/.726 with 29 home runs in 68 games for the Aggies. A six-foot-six left-handed hitter, LaViolette boasts some of the best raw power in college baseball and played a solid centre field last season.
If you’re looking for a pitcher, Florida State’s Jamie Arnold or UC Santa Barbara’s Tyler Bremner have emerged as the top two arms eligible for the 2025 draft. Arnold is a six-foot-one lefty, who struck out 159 hitters in 105.2 innings last season, touching 97 m.p.h. with his fastball. Bremner stands six-foot-two, throws from the right side and racked up 104 strikeouts in 88.2 innings, primarily using a three-pitch mix.
