Every offseason, teams talk about “building through the draft.” It’s a wonderful idea in theory.
Of course, the first step in building through the draft is actually owning a draft pick. And judging by the current landscape, several teams around the league appear to have skipped that part.
With picks flying around in trades over the last few seasons, the first-round board now looks a little… redistributed. Some teams are holding stockpiles. Others are sitting at the table with empty pockets.
Let’s take a look at who owns what heading into the offseason.
Seattle: The League’s Draft Landlord
If you’re wondering who controls the first round, the answer is simple: Seattle.
The Mariners currently hold four first-round picks:
- Their own
- Arizona’s
- Charlotte’s
- The New York Mets’
Four first-rounders gives Seattle the rare ability to shape the entire night. They can draft aggressively, move up and down the board, or start dangling picks in trade talks and watch half the league pick up the phone.
When one team holds this much capital, the rest of the draft tends to orbit around them.
Washington Has Plenty to Work With
Right behind Seattle is Washington, which enters the offseason with three first-round selections:
- Their own
- Toronto’s
- Boston’s
Now, that Boston pick deserves a quick note. The Red Sox have spent the better part of the year demonstrating a wide range of creative approaches to losing baseball games, which means the pick Washington owns is very likely to land near the top of the board.
So not only do the Nationals have three picks — they may very well have one of the best ones in the entire draft.
That’s a nice position to be in.
The Teams With Two Picks
A few teams have managed to stash away an extra first-rounder:
- Cleveland – their own pick and Kansas City’s
- Colorado – their own pick and Orlando’s
- New York Yankees – their own pick and Milwaukee’s
Two picks is a comfortable place to be. It gives a front office options: take two swings at impact talent, or package the extra selection if a trade opportunity presents itself.
The Standard Issue: One Pick
A good portion of the league still owns exactly what you’d expect — one first-round pick:
- Baltimore
- Boston (via Los Angeles)
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Detroit
- Florida
- Minnesota
- Montreal
- Oakland
- San Diego
- St. Louis
These teams will simply wait their turn and see how the board falls.
And Then There’s… This Group
Finally, we arrive at the teams currently heading into the offseason without a first-round pick at all:
- Arizona
- Charlotte
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- Milwaukee
- New York Mets
- Orlando
- Toronto
That’s eight teams who, at least for the moment, are planning to watch the first round the same way the rest of us do — from the outside.
Of course, there’s still plenty of time for trades. But until something changes, these clubs will need to either move back into the round or wait patiently for Day Two.
The Big Picture
The current draft economy is pretty straightforward.
- Seattle controls the board with four picks.
- Washington isn’t far behind with three, including what may be a very high Boston selection.
- A handful of teams have extra ammunition.
- And eight teams have none.
Which means when the offseason starts heating up and the trade calls begin, the same two front offices are going to hear from everyone.
Because when you’re holding most of the first round, the rest of the league tends to come knocking.