The top of the 2025 Draft won¡¯t be set until Tuesday¡¯s MLB Draft Lottery presented by Nike. But the overall Draft order is beginning to take shape, now that the Competitive Balance rounds are set.

Since 2017, Major League Baseball has used a formula that combines revenue, winning percentage and market score to award Draft picks to teams that fall in the bottom 10 in revenue or market size. In 2024, there were 14 teams awarded picks in the two CB rounds: six in Round A and eight in Round B.

This year, there are 15 teams: eight have picks in Round A and seven in Round B.

Competitive Balance Round A takes place between the first-round compensation picks and the second round, while Round B is held after the second round is over. The order of the picks within each round is determined by order of finish in the previous year¡¯s standings, best down to worst.

That order is as follows:

Round A

1. Brewers
2. Tigers
3. Mariners
4. Twins
5. Rays
6. Reds
7. Athletics
8. Marlins

Round B

1. Guardians
2. Orioles
3. D-backs
4. Royals
5. Cardinals
6. Pirates
7. Rockies

Competitive Balance round picks are the only MLB Draft picks that can be traded, and they are not subject to forfeiture ¨C unless the pick in question has already been traded. For example, the A¡¯s will not forfeit their CB Round A pick for signing free agent right-hander Luis Severino, who had a qualifying offer attached to him. They will forfeit their third-highest eligible pick, not including the CBA pick. However, if the A¡¯s were to trade their CBA pick, that pick would become eligible for forfeiture.

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Free agents who accept qualifying offers are signed with their teams for the next season at the designated value. Those who don¡¯t accept remain free agents, and if a new team signs them, their old team receives Draft pick compensation. The more free agents sign, the more the final overall Draft order will come into focus.

Thus far, Severino is the only player to sign with a new team this winter. He was one of 12 free agents to reject their qualifying offer (one accepted). Since this system began in 2012, only 14 of the 144 players to receive a QO have accepted it.

Here are the remaining unsigned free agents who declined the QO and what compensation each team would get:

Yankees ¨C Juan Soto: Pick after Round 4

Mets ¨C Pete Alonso: Pick after Round 4

Brewers ¨C Willy Adames: Pick between Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A (if signed for at least $50 million); pick after Competitive Balance Round B (if signed for less than $50M)

Astros ¨C Alex Bregman: Pick after Round 4

Orioles ¨C Corbin Burnes: Pick between Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A (if signed for at least $50 million); pick after Competitive Balance Round B (if signed for less than $50M)

Orioles ¨C Anthony Santander: Pick between Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A (if signed for at least $50 million); pick after Competitive Balance Round B (if signed for less than $50M)

Braves ¨C Max Fried: Pick after Round 4

Dodgers ¨C Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez: Pick after Round 4

Mets ¨C Sean Manaea: Pick after Round 4

Red Sox ¨C Nick Pivetta: Pick after Competitive Balance Round B

D-backs ¨C Christian Walker: Pick between Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A (if signed for at least $50 million); pick after Competitive Balance Round B (if signed for less than $50M)