The Winter Meetings are upon us and, as is a new tradition, the MLB Draft Lottery took place on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
In the past, MLB used a similar format as the NFL, where reverse standings would indicate the draft order verbatim. As of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, MLB adopted a similar approach to the NBA Draft, where the non-playoff teams are entered into a lottery to decide the top six picks of the draft order.
The Pirates won the first-ever MLB Draft Lottery last year, going on to select star LSU pitcher Paul Skenes with the No. 1 overall pick. Pittsburgh wasn't favored to repeat after a respectable 2023 season, though.
The Athletics, Royals and Rockies were all tied for the best odds to land the No. 1 pick at 18.3 percent, but things didn't shake out for any of the trio. Colorado landed at No. 3, Oakland fell to No. 4 and Kansas City dropped to No. 6.
In a shocking result, the Guardians had a slim 2.0 percent chance to earn the top pick and jumped up to the No. 1 spot for the first time in franchise history.
MORE: Watch the 2024 MLB Draft Lottery live on Fubo (free trial)
If you missed the 2024 MLB Draft Lottery, The Sporting News had you covered with live updates on the draft order below.
2024 MLB Draft Lottery results
The Guardians only had the ninth-best odds to land the No. 1 pick and came up lucky for the first time in franchise history. Here are the complete results of the 2024 MLB Draft Lottery.
| Pick | Team |
| 1. | Guardians |
| 2. | Reds |
| 3. | Rockies |
| 4. | Athletics |
| 5. | White Sox |
| 6. | Royals |
| 7. | Cardinals |
| 8. | Angels |
| 9. | Pirates |
| 10. | Nationals |
| 11. | Tigers |
| 12. | Red Sox |
| 13. | Giants |
| 14. | Cubs |
| 15. | Mariners |
| 16. | Marlins |
| 17. | Brewers |
| 18. | Rays |
MORE: MLB Winter Meetings tracker: Live updates on news, rumors, signings and trades
2024 MLB Draft order
| Pick | Team |
| 1. | Guardians |
| 2. | Reds |
| 3. | Rockies |
| 4. | Athletics |
| 5. | White Sox |
| 6. | Royals |
| 7. | Cardinals |
| 8. | Angels |
| 9. | Pirates |
| 10. | Nationals |
| 11. | Tigers |
| 12. | Red Sox |
| 13. | Giants |
| 14. | Cubs |
| 15. | Mariners |
| 16. | Marlins |
| 17. | Brewers |
| 18. | Rays |
| 19. | Mets |
| 20. | Blue Jays |
| 21. | Twins |
| 22. | Orioles |
| 23. | Dodgers |
| 24. | Braves |
| 25. | Padres |
| 26. | Yankees |
| 27. | Phillies |
| 28. | Astros |
| 29. | Diamondbacks |
| 30. | Rangers |
2024 MLB Draft Lottery odds chart
Here's a breakdown of the odds to land the No. 1 pick:
| Team | Odds for No. 1 pick |
| Athletics | 18.3% |
| Royals | 18.3% |
| Rockies | 18.3% |
| White Sox | 14.7% |
| Cardinals | 8.3% |
| Angels | 6.1% |
| Mets | 4.3% |
| Pirates | 3.0% |
| Guardians | 2.0% |
| Tigers | 1.6% |
| Red Sox | 1.2% |
| Giants | 1.0% |
| Reds | 0.9% |
| Padres | 0.7% |
| Yankees | 0.6% |
| Cubs | 0.4% |
| Mariners | 0.2% |
| Nationals* | 0.0% |
*The Nationals are ineligible for this year's lottery because "teams that are 'payor clubs' — clubs that give, rather than receive, revenue-sharing dollars — are not allowed to be selected in consecutive lotteries," per MLB.com. "Because the Nationals were selected last year, their odds are reduced to zero this year even though they finished with the fifth-worst record in baseball in 2023.
MORE: Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone rank among top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
No. 1 picks in MLB Draft
Take a look at the last 10 No. 1 overall picks in the MLB Draft below.
| Year | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 2023 | Pirates | Paul Skenes | RHP | LSU |
| 2022 | Orioles | Jackson Holliday | SS | Stillwater HS (OK) |
| 2021 | Pirates | Henry Davis | C | Louisville |
| 2020 | Tigers | Spencer Torkelson | 1B | Arizona State |
| 2019 | Orioles | Adley Rutschman | C | Oregon State |
| 2018 | Tigers | Casey Mize | RHP | Auburn |
| 2017 | Twins | Royce Lewis | SS | JSerra Catholic HS (CA) |
| 2016 | Phillies | Mickey Moniak | OF | La Costa Canyon HS (CA) |
| 2015 | Diamondbacks | Dansby Swanson | SS | Vanderbilt |
| 2014 | Astros | Brady Aiken | LHP | Cathedral Catholic HS (CA) |
A few names stand out as No. 1 picks in the last 10 years, headlined by Rutschman, Lewis and Swanson.
Swanson has been one of the more consistent shortstops in MLB, winning a World Series with the Braves in 2021 before signing a $177 million deal with the Cubs in 2022.
Lewis burst onto the scene in the Twins' playoff race this past season, knocking two home runs in the wild card round to help Minnesota win a postseason series for the first time in 21 years.
Rutschman wasted no time to look like the stud he was projected to be, becoming an All-Star and earning Silver Slugger honors in his second full season in the show.
What time is the 2024 MLB Draft lottery?
- Date: Dec. 5, 2023
- Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
The 2024 MLB Draft lottery will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn.
What channel is the MLB Draft Lottery on?
MLB fans can watch the 2024 MLB Draft lottery on MLB Network, with streaming options to view it on MLB.com with a subscription or with Fubo, which offers a free trial.
