The MLB Draft is different from the NFL, NBA, and other professional sports. You cannot trade your draft picks. Let’s break down the rules and why teams can’t send picks away for players when making deals and more.
Can You Trade Picks in the MLB Draft?
No. You cannot trade draft picks in the MLB. It is common to see this in other sports leagues like the NFL and NBA. Yo꧟u have a great player that you might not be able to re-sign so you send him off for top draft picks to get talent for the future. In baseball, you cannot do this. You must keep your draft picks including our compensation picks.
The rule was established back in 1965 and h🥀as n🌌ot been changed since.
Does it Protect Competitive Balance?
The main reason behind the rule was to protect the competitive balance of the league. Small market teams would not give up their fu𝓀ture b𝄹y selling off their top prospects to larger market teams for a quick return.
Many have argued that this rule actually hurts the competitive balance. Smaller market teams who struggle to re-sign star players have to let those players walk without scoring draft picks for them. Also, if a team doesn’t have a lot of revenue they might not be able to draft certain players who will require large slot bonuses.
The Pete Incaviglia Rule
In 1985, MLB expanded the💫 rule to include not being able to trade players who were taken in the MLB Draft. Basically, it eliminated the option to sign and trade players similar to the NBA.
was taken eighth overall by the Expos in 1985 but he could not come to terms on a contract with the team. The Expos then traded him to the Rangers for Jim Anderson and Bob Sebra. Major League Baseball decided they did not like that and implemented the rule that pla𝓀yers had to be under contract for a year with a franchise before being eligible to be traded.
Teams started getting around this rule by including the classic “players to be named later” strategy. MLB then said players had to be dealt and named within six months of the trade. In 2015, baseball allowed teams to trade drafted players the day after the World Series was completed.
Teams Can Trade Competitive Balance Picks
There is o✅ne minor exception to the no-traꦜding draft picks rule. Teams can trade competitive balance picks. They cannot be dealt for cash. Any trade with a competitive balance pick has to include at least one player being sent to the team that is trading the pick.
The current rules make the 10 teams with the lowest revenue and the 10 small🥂est market teams are eligible to get competitive balance picks. the maximum number of teams that can get these types of picks is 20. Most of the time, teams can fall into both categories.
2024 MLB Draft Order: Round 1
The Cleveland Guardians will be sel🤡ecting first overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. The first round will be capped off by the Texas Rangers at number 30 overall. Check out the complete list of first-round picks.
- Cleveland Guardians
- Cincinnati Reds
- Colorado Rockies
- Oakland A’s
- Chicago White Sox
- Kansas City Royals
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Los Angeles Angels
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Washington Nationals
- Detroit Tigers
- Boston Red Sox
- San Francisco Giants
- Chicago Cubs
- Seattle Mariners
- Miami Marlins
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Tampa Bay Rays
- New York Mets
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Minnesota Twins
- Baltimore Orioles
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Atlanta Braves
- San Diego Padres
- New York Yankees
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Houston Astros
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Texas Rangers
