Why the Brewers will have to be even more creative in the 2026 MLB Draft

In 2025, the Milwaukee Brewers entered the MLB Draft with a unique advantage, holding a sizable bonus pool of $13,133,100 and owning five picks within the top 100. Their top 100 selections included first, second, and third round picks, as well as a compensation pick for Willy Adames’ departure, and a supplementary pick after the second round.

They could have had as many as seven picks within the top 100, and an additional $2,898,300 in bonus pool space, had they not traded away a Competitive Balance Round A selection to the Boston Red Sox in the Quinn Priester trade at the beginning of the 2025 regular season. Regardless, Milwaukee still made the most of its draft capital, landing 3B Andrew Fisher (No. 20), SS Brady Ebel (No. 32), LHP J.D. Thompson (No. 59), LHP Frank Cairone (No. 68), and RHP Jacob Morrison (No. 94).

Looking ahead to the 2026 MLB Draft, set for July 11–13, the event will feature a revamped format, with Rounds 1–4 and all compensatory selections taking place on Day 1, followed by Rounds 5–20 on Day 2. For Milwaukee, another notable change will be a significantly smaller bonus pool and fewer early-round selections compared to the previous year.

A small bonus pool and less top 100 selections will force the Milwaukee Brewers to be more creative in the 2026 MLB Draft

This July, the Brewers will operate with the sixth-smallest bonus pool at $8,042,900 and hold just two picks inside the top 100: No. 25 and No. 66. Slot values for those selections are $3,696,000 and $1,353,100, respectively, meaning roughly 62.5% of Milwaukee’s total bonus pool is expected to be allocated to their first two picks. Importantly, the Brewers do not have a Competitive Balance Round-B pick this year as they traded it to, once again, the Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin trade. Said pick would have been the 67th overall selection which is valued at $1,317,300.

That said, the organization will likely take one of two approaches this year's draft. They could go under slot at No. 25 by selecting an established college player who doesn't need to be "wowed" by an impressive offer to keep him away from his collegiate commitment or a lesser-valued prep player, and then go over slot at No. 66 for a player they strongly believe in. Alternatively, they could flip that strategy, committing more money to their first-round selection which would give them less money to work with in the future rounds of the draft.

So long as the Brewers don't go over slot with both of their first two selections, they will maintain their ability to take advantage of the later rounds of the MLB Drafts, where Milwaukee has uncovered many diamonds in the rough in recent years. The Brewers generally look to save money for the second day of the draft in an effort to land several prep players who slip through the cracks of the early rounds. Regardless of whether they continue their recent strategy or stray from the proven path, thankfully the Brewers' recent draft success is reason enough to trust the judgment of their scouting department.