Rule 5 Draft: A chance for Opportunity

It’s that time of year again. It’s time for Rule 5.

nothing else in baseball quite matches the Rule 5 Draft, traditionally the final event of the annual Winter Meetings. Each year, Rule 5 provides big league opportunities for players who might not get them immediately otherwise.

this year’s draft takes place in Orlando, Fla., at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday – streaming live on MLB.com – giving teams a chance to improve their rosters adn find low-risk talent for the upcoming season.

Unlike the amateur Draft (Rule 4), which now uses a lottery to determine the first-round order, the Rule 5 Draft order is based on the reverse order of last season’s standings. The Rockies, with the worst record in baseball in 2025, have the first pick. They are followed by the White Sox, Nationals, Twins, and Pirates. Teams with identical records in 2025 are ordered by their win-loss records from the previous season.

The Draft Order

Below is this year’s complete Rule 5 Draft order. teams must have space on their 40-man roster to make a pick, so each team’s 40-man status is included.

Here are the Rule 5 player qualifications:

Players who turned pro at age 18 or younger in 2021, or at age 19 or older in 2022, are eligible for selection in the Major League phase of the draft.