It turns out the Cardinals actually do have a potential prize awaiting them this year

Most of us have been under the impression that the St. Louis Cardinals were not allowed to have another top pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, but recent reporting now says otherwise.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was asked about the Cardinals' draft outlook for 2026, and he is reporting that the Cardinals are eligible for the draft lottery in 2026, despite reporting saying otherwise from various outlets this past year.

Let's break this down into smaller chunks.

FAQ on how the Cardinals are eligible for the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery

According to Goold, the Cardinals are eligible for the draft lottery, which is news to me and many others who were under the impression that they were not. Goold shared that he checked in with the Cardinals, MLB, and the CBA to confirm this, so I don't doubt his reporting at all. Here are some quick hitters to questions that many of us have had.

1. The Cardinals drafted in the top ten two years in a row, shouldn't that make them ineligible for the draft lottery in this new format?

Here is one major point of confusion for myself and many others. Yes, the Cardinals have drafted in the top ten of the last two MLB Drafts, but a "lottery pick" is actually only considered to be a top six selection, meaning that the Cardinals' seventh overall pick in 2024, which landed them JJ Wetherholt, does not count as a lottery selection.

This confusion, at least for myself and some, may stem from the fact that if a team that receives revenue sharing does select in the top six of a draft two years in a row, they are ineligible for selecting in the top ten of the next MLB Draft. Because of that, I think many assumed that a "lottery pick" was considered any top ten pick, especially since other sports leagues call any pick outside of the playoff teams a lottery pick.

2. Do the Cardinals receive revenue sharing or do they pay into it?

Also, contrary to popular belief, until this year, the Cardinals were a team that received revenue sharing, but that is actually changing this year. But since they were a revenue-sharing receiver coming into the year, this year's draft pick still falls within the rules that they can have two in a row.

3. So what does this mean for the Cardinals' lottery odds this year?

Depending on how the season ends, the Cardinals could be in a position to have great lottery odds for the second time in three seasons. Last year, the Cardinals had the 13th-best odds (0.8%) at the number one overall pick, but saw their selection jump all the way up to number five overall. The year prior, the Cardinals had the sixth-best odds, but fell to the seventh overall pick. That has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, considering that landed Wetherholt and now have the chance at another top pick in 2026.

As things currently stand, the Cardinals have somewhere around the 13th or 14th best lottery odds again, but they've had the second-worst record in baseball since the second half began. If they continue this pace, they will end up with pretty good odds once again, and that could lead to another top-five selection, or at least one in the top ten picks.

We are still about 11 months away from the 2026 MLB Draft, but by all accounts thus far, it is set to be a loaded class with a ton of top-end talent. While the Cardinals were very excited to get Liam Doyle at number five overall this year, the buzz around the 2026 draft class is much stronger than the buzz around 2025's.