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The competitive balance picks in the MLB, unlike draft picks, are ones that can be traded. They are given to teams that are within the bottom 10 of league revenue or reside in one of the 10 smallest markets.
This year, 14 teams have been awarded picks. Among these teams are the Baltimore Orioles Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, and Pittsburgh Pirates, just to name a few. These teams have until 5 p.m. ET on Sunday to submit their trades.
MLB analyst Ken Rosenthal has heard the rumbling revolving around these competitive balance picks and predicted some trades on a recent airing of Foul Territory TV.
"My understanding is, after talking to several people yesterday is that there is a lot of action on those picks right now. The first of those two rounds is Competitive Balance Round A, those are picks 34 to 39, and naturally, they are quite valuable," - said Rosenthal.
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These picks become valuable as there is usually another team looking to grab another draft spot. Rosenthal would not be surprised if there were multiple trades ahead of Sunday.
"So, it would not shock me to see a trade or two happen before Sunday involving those picks. And there are a number of contenders that hold those picks right now, the Royals are one, the Guardians are another" - said Rosenthal.
Rosenthal especially views the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians as teams that could trade away their picks. Given the openness in the AL Central, they could look for established players who can help them during the second half.
Breaking down the 2024 competitive balance picks
The competitive balance picks are broken into two rounds, Round A and Round B. Round A takes place after the completion of the first round, while Round B is held after the second round.
Round A holds six teams, some of which are contenders to make the postseason this year. It consists of the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Kansas City Royals.
Round B consists of the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee again, the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland Athletics.
These teams will have the edge to make their squads even better going forward. it will be interesting to see what each team does with their extra picks.
