Draft Lottery

[CJD]

We were owed a better than expected draft position this season, after being screwed last season in one of the most top heavy drafts in recent MLB history. In the 2023 draft, we had the 3rd worst record in 2022, but fell all the way to #7 in a class with 5 elite prospects

It's still early, so these prospects have an entire season to improve their stock, but at this moment, I don't believe a single player in this draft is projected to be as good as any of the top 5 players in the 2023 draft (Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, Wyatt Langford, Max Clark, Walker Jenkins).

With that said, #2 is still amazing considering we were given only a 0.9% chance of getting a pick this high. I think this could impact our free agency and trade strategy as well.

Let's say we really like 2 prospects in the upcoming draft as hitters who could speed through the minors and reach Cincinnati by the beginning of the 2025 or 2026 season. With that in mind, we could justify trading Edwin Arroyo, Cam Collier or Sal Stewart as a center piece for an Ace pitcher, with the understanding that we'll effectively replace them with a similarly (or more) talented prospect in a few months.