Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays will not have the most exciting draft for 2026, the Chicago White Sox won the 1st overall lottery, as for the Blue Jays AL East counterparts, the Tampa Bay Rays own the second overall pick, and the Baltimore Orioles are in seventh.
The Toronto Blue Jays used up several picks when they signed Dylan Cease, as well as going over the competitive tax balance.
Toronto Blue Jays set themselves up before the draft.
Ryley Delaney of Blue Jays Nation reported on the latest MLB draft order being unveiled, it will be an underwhelming draft for the Blue Jays, which is a good thing considering they do not need it as much as most teams do.
As of right now the Blue Jays first pick is expected to be 39th overall.
"That also applied to the Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Yankees. If you're wondering where the Blue Jays will pick, it's expected to be 39th. They'll also be without their second and fifth round pick due to signing Dylan Cease. If they sign another player who declined a qualifying offer, they'll also lose their third and sixth round picks."-Delaney
However their AL East rivals in the Rays and Orioles will get a good boost with their draft position. The division is already competitive as it stands, and it looks like it will only get more competitive in the years to come. The Rays and Orioles have had large falls from grace over the last five years, and will look to get back to winning ways.
"The Rays had a three percent chance of landing the first overall pick, and even worse odds to land the second, but they did just that. As has been the case for the past three draft lotteries, there were some teams ranked after the 10th seed who rose drastically. At the same time, the Baltimore Orioles, who had the fourth-best odds of 9.2%, fell to the seventh overall pick. From the 2019 draft until the 2022 draft, the Orioles had four picks in the top five, so at least they fell back a bit."-Delaney
It's been a drastic change from just a year ago for the Blue Jays, who had the worst record in all of baseball, to now being one of the best teams and one of the highest spenders in the league. It's a great position to be in, but it's harder to stay on top than it is to getting to the top.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 11|585 ANSWERS MLB draft order and the Blue Jays position announced Are the Toronto Blue Jays doing the right thing sacrificing draft picks to sign older more established players? | ||
| Yes | 437 | 74.7 % |
| No | 148 | 25.3 % |
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