The Nationals win the MLB draft lottery and receive the No. 1 pick for the third time

DALLAS – The Washington Nationals will have the first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft for the third time in franchise history after winning the draft lottery at the Baseball Winter Meetings on Tuesday.

Washington had the fourth-best odds (10.8%) of landing the top pick. The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins (both 22.5%) were tied for the best odds, but the Marlins fell to seventh and the Rockies will settle for fourth.

The Los Angeles Angels will finish second after having the third-best odds for the first pick.

The Chicago White Sox, despite losing a now-record 121 games, were not eligible for a lottery pick – one of the top six selections – because the collective bargaining agreement stipulates that a team that pays into the revenue sharing plan cannot do so in consecutive drafts place a lottery tip. The White Sox selected fifth in the 2024 draft.

Athletics was also ineligible because teams that receive revenue sharing cannot win the lottery for three consecutive years.

The Nationals also picked No. 1 in last year’s draft lottery, but were ineligible for a lottery pick because a team had paid into the revenue sharing plan and was unable to receive a lottery pick two years in a row. which led to another drawing. The Cleveland Guardians won first place in the second drawing despite only having a 2% chance.

The ping-pong balls hit the Nationals’ courts again on Tuesday, giving them a chance to repeat their previous success with the No. 1 pick. In 2009, they chose right-hander Stephen Strasburg. A year later, they selected outfielder Bryce Harper. Both players were considered generational talents and quickly rose through the minors to serve as franchise cornerstones in the Nationals’ rise to NL East power in the 2010s.

Washington hasn’t made the postseason since winning the 2019 World Series. The Nationals were third in the NL East in 2024 with a record of 71-91.

The draft lottery gives the 18 teams that do not make the postseason the opportunity to receive one of the first six selections. It was introduced in MLB’s new collective bargaining agreement, which took effect in 2023. Picks 7 through 18 are ranked by reverse winning percentage, followed by how the teams performed in the postseason.