Lots of Winter Meetings-related questions (Draft Lottery, trades, Juan Soto signing fallout) arrived in the Pipeline Inbox, so let's get to them.

Nice work projecting every team's top pick in the 2025 Draft. But what about choices 28-37?
--Jonathan M., Pittsburgh

When I did my way-too-early first-round forecast after the Draft Lottery concluded on Tuesday, I plotted out all 27 first-round picks plus those for the three teams (Mets, Dodgers, Yankees) who had their top selection moved down 10 spots because they exceeded the $237 million competitive balance tax threshold in 2024 by more than $40 million. I didn't worry about the supplemental first-round choices that run from Nos. 28-37.

I do have a full-blown case of Draft fever, so let's do some more projecting:

28. Royals: Trent Caraway, 3B, Oregon State (No. 21 on Draft Top 100)
Sophomore with big raw power could go higher if he makes consistent contact, shows well at hot corner.

29. Brewers: Dean Curley, SS, Tennessee (No. 24)
Another sophomore, Curley is more physical than most shortstops and has one of the strongest arms in the Draft.

30. Brewers: Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS, Downey, Calif. (No. 45)
Cervantes' intriguing combination of stuff and pitchability includes one of the better changeups available.

31. Tigers: Nolan Schubart, OF, Oklahoma State (No. 30)
Schubart is a one-tool guy, but that tool is massive left-handed power.

32. Mariners: Brock Sell, OF, Tokay HS, Lodi, Calif. (No. 36)
Sell projects as a quality leadoff man with his hitting ability and plus speed.

33. Twins: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee (No. 28)
Few players in this class have better bat-to-ball skills then Kilen, a transfer from Louisville.

34. Rays: Kane Kepley, OF, North Carolina (No. 40)
Another transfer (Liberty) who excels at making contact, Kepley also offers plus speed and center-field defense.

35. Reds: Ethan Petry, OF/1B, South Carolina (No. 29)
The Cape Cod League MVP and home run leader (11 in 31 games), Petry is a righty-hitting version of Schubart.

36. Athletics: Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina (No. 41)
Some teams have first-round grades on Bodine, who gets the job done behind the plate and makes a lot of contact.

37. Marlins: Henry Godbout, 2B, Virginia (No. 31)
Godbout is an advanced hitter with 20-homer upside and a high baseball IQ.

Is there a way to look at the haul the White Sox got from the Red Sox for Garrett Crochet and come up with an equivalent package from the Cubs system? -- Dustin R., Chicago

This question came from producer Dustin Rhoades when I made an appearance on the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score in Chicago yesterday. In exchange for Crochet, the White Sox landed two Top 100 Prospects (catcher Kyle Teel at No. 25, outfielder Braden Montgomery at No. 54) plus a contact-hitting infielder with a high floor (Chase Meidroth) and a live-armed but erratic right-hander (Wikelman Gonzalez) from the Red Sox. It was a good haul -- with the caveat that prospects aren't sure things.

If we're lining up Top 100 rankings, the Cubs could have given up infielder Matt Shaw (No. 22) and second baseman/outfielder James Triantos (No. 55). If we're matching positions and the sum of their Top 100 placements, they could have combined outfielder Owen Caissie (No. 34) and catcher/first baseman Moises Ballesteros (No. 44). Infielder Pedro Ramirez and right-hander Jaxon Wiggins are analogous to Meidroth and Gonzalez.

We don't know how a strong play the Cubs made for Crochet, but one of the packages above would have made sense for a club that could use a frontline starter and has a logjam of position players between Chicago and Triple-A. It will be interesting to see if the Cubs can swing a deal for Kyle Tucker, as has been rumored.

What does a No. 2 pick do for an organization's prospect rankings as bad as the Angels? -- @onetoolplayer on X

The Angels placed 29th in MLB Pipeline's midseason farm rankings and never have risen higher than 21st since we began rating all 30 systems biannually in 2020. They won't soar up the list simply by getting the No. 2 overall pick -- their earliest since taking Darin Erstad at No. 1 in 1995 -- but it's a start.

Much can change over the next seven months, but as of now, Oklahoma high school shortstop Ethan Holliday, Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette, Florida State left-hander Jamie Arnold, UC Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner and California prep righty Seth Hernandez have separated themselves from the rest of the Draft class. Any of those players would be the best prospect to set foot in the Angels system since Mike Trout more than a decade ago. (I'm not counting Shohei Ohtani, who arrived from Japan as a fully formed big leaguer and never spent a day in the Minors.)

Getting a potential superstar at No. 2 probably would help the Angels move up 3-5 spots in our summer 2025 rankings. But they currently have just two Top 100 Prospects (right-hander Caden Dana at No. 68, second baseman Christian Moore at No. 71) and iffy depth, so there's a lot more work to be done.

With the Mets signing Juan Soto and trading for Jose Siri what does this mean for the duo of outfielders acquired in the Justin Verlander trade with the Astros? -- @CaoChadTTV

Soto is signed for the next 15 seasons, though Siri isn't really a long-term obstacle. The Mets acquired Drew Gilbert (No. 74 on the Top 100) and Ryan Clifford (No. 87) in the Verlander deal, and all five of the highest-ranked position prospects on our Mets Top 30 are potential outfielders. The others are recent first-round picks Jett Williams (No. 52) and Carson Benge (No. 99), plus Ronny Mauricio.

The good news is that there's a lot of position flexibility here, so the Mets won't have to jam all five of these guys into two outfield spots (and DH). Clifford might wind up at first base, Williams will get every chance to make it as a middle infielder and Mauricio may be able to handle second or third base. Infield prospects such as Luisangel Acu?a (who also has some outfield experience) and Jesus Baez also will be pushing for jobs in New York.

Here's my best guess for New York's lineup in 2028, without knowing which other free agents they may sign:

Francisco Alvarez, C
Mark Vientos, 1B
Jett Williams, 2B
Francisco Lindor, SS
Jesus Baez, 3B
Juan Soto, LF
Drew Gilbert, CF
Carson Benge, RF
Ryan Clifford, DH