2025 Transactions: Bido, Criswell, Luciano, & Romo Claimed Off Waivers

With the Winter Meetings & 2025 Rule 5 Draft on the horizon, MLB teams are re-shuffling their 40-man rosters. On December 5, several teams placed successful waiver claims. The Braves picked up two pitchers, while the Pirates grabbed former top prospect Marco Luciano.

Luciano goes to Pirates

Perhaps the biggest claim on December 5 involved Marco Luciano, who was picked up by the Pirates. Luciano was placed on waivers by the Giants.

At one point, the now-24-year-old was arguably the best prospect in the Giants’ system. Luciano, who made his MLB debut in 2023, intrigued for years thanks to his power. However, it never played at the MLB level. He slashed .217/.286/.303 with no home runs over 126 PA across two seasons. He didn’t play in the Majors at all this season.

There’s a lot of swing-and-miss in Luciano’s game, which severely limits his ceiling. This past year with Sacramento, he whiffed 36.7% of the time when he swung. The thing is that Luciano, by and large, is not a high chase rate (20.6%) hitter.

Once an infielder, Luciano is a sizeable figure. Yet, he was given the initial chance to play shortstop. The Giants moved him off the position and had Luciano play mostly in left last season.

Bido claimed by Braves

The Braves have played the waiver shuffle a lot these past few months. Atlanta did again on the 5th, as the Braves picked up ex-Athletics pitcher Osvaldo Bido.

Bido pitched very well with the Athletics in 2024, as he averaged nearly a strikeout per inning and showed a very good fastball that was hard to pick up with his arm angle. As noted last month in our 2025 Athletics recap, Bido gave up a lot of home runs at home. However, he also didn’t pitch great at home.

Additionally, the Braves claimed Anthony Molina from the Rockies. Josh Walker, added last month, was designated for assignment.

Orioles get Romo

The Orioles claimed former first-round pick Drew Romo from the Rockies.

Romo, a 24-year-old catcher, received 53 plate appearances in his first taste of the Majors in 2024. However, Romo only saw three plate appearances in 2025, as Hunter Goodman solidified his grip as the Rockies’ primary catcher.

The switch-hitting catcher hit as many as 14 home runs with Triple-A Alburquerque in 2024. Romo, though, possesses fringe power.

Romo joins an Orioles team that currently has Samuel Basallo, Adley Rutschman, and Maverick Handley on the 40-man roster.

Additional claims

The Orioles also claimed outfielder Will Robertson from the Pirates.

New York (NL) claimed Cooper Criswell from the Red Sox. Criswell was DFA’d when the Red Sox traded for Johan Oviedo on December 4.

Other moves

The Astros outrighted Taylor Trammell and Logan VanWey to Triple-A Sugar Land. Trammell was outrighted previously, meaning he can elect free agency.