Cubs 2026 MLB Draft: Complete list of Picks, Bonus Pool, and everything else you need to know

The Chicago Cubs will clearly be looking for pitching this month. At the MLB trade deadline, the expectation is that the Cubs will look to add multiple arms to their pitching staff this season. Before then, it would seem likely that the Cubs turn to the 2026 MLB Draft to address the lack of pitching they have across their entire organization.

While the Cubs have a clear need for pitching, recent mock drafts have pointed them in other directions. The Athletic's Keith Law continues to hear the Cubs being connected to college bats, including outfielder Zion Rose. Meanwhile, over at MLB Pipeline, there's a case to be made for the Cubs taking a catcher.

Complete List of Cubs 2026 MLB Draft picks

With the Cubs drafting towards the end of the first round, it's certainly possible a pitcher they've zeroed in on is taken ahead of them. If that's the case, it certainly would make sense for the Cubs to fall back on the approach of taking a college bat. If nothing else, by the time the Cubs are on the clock in the first round, there'll likely be a trend identified.

• First Round, No. 23
• Second Round, No. 62
• Compensation Pick No. 75
• Third Round, No. 98
• Fourth Round, No. 126
• Fifth Round, No. 159
• Remaining Rounds: The 24th selection of each round

The easiest way for the Cubs to not only address the lack of pitching they have, but the lack of high-ceiling pitching prospects they have is to prioritize pitchers in the early rounds of the draft. Sure, they can't ignore pitching after the fifth round as they've done in recent years, but they have four selections within the first 100 picks. Prioritizing pitching early could be how the Cubs beging to fix a weakness that has crippled them in recent years.

How much Bonus Pool money do the Cubs have available for the 2026 MLB Draft?

How the Chicago allocate their bonus pool money has also been a topic of conversation of late. Since 2023, it's quite clear that the Cubs don't allocate much of their bonus pool money to pitching.

For this year's draft, the Cubs' bonus pool is $9,644,100. As the Cubs have done in the past, notably with Cade Horton, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the team go under-slot in the first round, with the idea of going over-slot during the middle rounds of the draft. This is often a strategy that has allowed the Cubs to take an upside high school prospect, or a college prospect who might have fallen out of the first round.

Why do the Cubs have a compensation pick in the 2026 MLB Draft?

The 2026 MLB Draft will also mark a complete end to the Kyle Tucker era for the Cubs. By way of Tucker rejecting the Cubs' qualifying offer last offseason, Jed Hoyer and Co. hold the rights to the No. 75 selection in this year's draft. The Cubs didn't sign a free agent attached to a qualifying offer last offseason.

2026 MLB Draft details

• Dates: July 11, 2026 and July 12, 2026
• Start Time: 12 pm CDT
• Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• How to watch: MLB Network will carry the first three rounds, NBC will carry the first round, and the draft can be streamed on MLB.com

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