Now that the 2025 MLB draft is wrapped up, it’s time for the biggest takeaway! Some future stars of the league finally found their new homes. Meanwhile, some clubs from the league were labelled “losers” by the end. Yes, it was actually one of the best franchises in the league that earned the most criticism for watching over 35 top prospects fly off the board before even getting a say.

As it seems, neither the Yankees nor the Dodgers followed the memo. Or maybe, they just chose to overlook it. Here’s the thing: the Major League Baseball Draft rules state that teams can have their top draft pick moved back 10 spots if they go overboard with the luxury tax limit. That’s why the Yanks and the Dodgers were left waiting.

Both clubs had their picks pushed back 10 spots, with the Yankees picking at No. 39 and the Dodgers at No. 40. Jim Bowden from The Athletic even dubbed them “losers.”

He called these organizations out for exceeding competitive balance tax thresholds in 2024. Bowden emphasized that the Yankees and the Dodgers knew the drill. They knew how MLB rules work, yet they made their respective payroll decisions knowing the ultimate consequences. It is a bit of a letdown that one of the best teams was apparently not even a part of the first round.

When their turn finally came at Nos. 39 and 40, the top 38 prospects were already off the board. The Yankees picked out Dax Kilby. He’s a high school shortstop hailing from Georgia, and well, there are no doubts about his overall abilities except for his defensiveness. Plus, given George Lombard Jr.’s impressive rise, the Yankees weren’t in an urgent need for a shortstop anyway.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers picked two Arkansas prospects—pitcher Zach Root and outfielder Charles Davalan. There’s no bone to pick there. However, as noted by Bowden, the Dodgers made a mistake by making heavy investments in free agents such as Teoscar Hernandez, Blake Snell, Michael Conforto, and others. With these costly decisions, the team has implied that it wasn’t a smart move to go all in on these free-agent stars.

Now, we know how and why the Yankees and Dodgers didn’t make the most of the 2025 MLB draft. You want to know who made the most of it?

“Winners” of the 2025 MLB Draft

There’s no debate that the Baltimore Orioles were clearly the winners. In the first 69 selections, the Orioles had six picks. When they made their first pick at No. 19, not all realized they were just getting started.

As it seems, GM Mike Elias’s ownership is turning out to be fruitful for the club. To set their tone early, the Orioles secured three college bats back-to-back. At No. 19, they selected Ike Irish, Auburn’s outfielder. Then at No. 30, the Orioles went for Caden Bodine from Coastal Carolina, who is undoubtedly one of the best catchers in the draft. Then, their third pick was at No. 31, where they went for Wehiwa Aloy from Arkansas.

On the other hand, the Boston Red Sox were just as good. For the record, they had the 15th and 33rd picks, and taking that into consideration, they did pretty well. To start with, they chose Oklahoma’s right-hander Kyson Witherspoon. His fastball sits somewhere around 94-99 mph, and his curveball sits near 80. Well, that’s decent! Next up, they went for right-hander Marcus Phillips at No. 33; his velocity averages between 96-100 mph.

These two teams clearly took full advantage of this year’s MLB draft. However, a team outside the Dodgers, Mets or Yankees took the heat for making wrong decisions. It’s the Los Angeles Angels, who had picked Tyler Bremner with the No. 2 pick. As per analysts, they could have picked someone better, such as Kade Anderson from LSU. Not that Bremner was a bad choice, but the debate is that the team sailed past other good players.

What are your thoughts?