For teams that stumble in the postseason, the sting of thwarted playoff hopes often compounds with a later draft pick. They weren’t quite bad enough to snag a lottery pick and not quite good enough to raise a trophy.
While some teams will be celebrating a disproportionately high pick in the 2026 Draft at the lottery pick at this week’s Winter Meetings, the Cincinnati Reds, who were swept by the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers, get the consolation prize of the No. 18 pick.
The last time the Reds selected this low in the first round — outside of Cam Collier going 18th-overall in 2022 — was when they took Nick Howard at No.