2026 MLB draft: One big question and intel for all 30 teams - ESPN

Happy MLB draft week!

This year's draft will take place Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia as part of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game festivities hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies.

As we approach the start of Round 1, here is one big question facing each of the 30 MLB teams.

Teams are listed in draft order.

More draft coverage: Mock draft | Comparing recent top prospects

First pick: No. 1
Bonus pool: $17,592,100

One big question: What's the strategy at the top pick?

What looked like a pretty clear call entering the spring — take college shortstop Roch Cholowsky over high school shortstop Grady Emerson — has now become much more complicated. As Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey's profile continued to rise, I felt that he was becoming a viable option at the top pick, just as the Cholowsky vs. Emerson discussion was blooming in the public and, if you believe the chatter, behind the scenes with the White Sox.

I did a quick text poll of scouts to see if they were seeing this as a virtual three-way coin flip and basically all of them said yes. I asked scouts only from teams outside of the top 10 so I could get some honest takes, and none of the scouts had their personal board lined up the same way. Some had college pitcher Jackson Flora or high school shortstop Jacob Lombard in their top three, as well. Frankly, this situation is a bit of a mess now for the White Sox: There's probably not going to be a clear, correct answer to who the best player is among their options and nobody in the industry can agree on who it is yet. White Sox fans probably will be debating this decision for years.

First pick: No. 2
Bonus pool: $19,009,300

One big question: Do the Rays lean more toward upside, price or proximity at the second