2025 Transactions: Luciano to Orioles, Guardians Sign Nunez

The big moves from January 7 revolved around pitching, as the Cubs swung a deal for Edward Cabrera, while the Rockies picked up Michael Lorenzen. However, most of the moves made on the day were waiver claims. Multiple players, including Marco Luciano and Ryan Rolison, changed teams on the 7th via the waiver wire.

Waiver claims

There were several waiver claims on the day. Here’s a breakdown of what officially went down:

• The Orioles claimed Marco Luciano from the Pirates.
• The Cubs claimed Ryan Rolison from the White Sox.
• The Angels claimed Wade Meckler from the Giants.
• The Rays claimed Tsung-Che Cheng from the Pirates.
• The Rockies claimed Keegan Thompson from the Reds.

Several of these players have moved around previously this winter. Marco Luciano, who was claimed by the Pirates from the Giants in December, will now join his third team of the offseason.

Ryan Rolison, meanwhile, is on his fourth team of the winter. The former first-round pick started the winter with the Rockies before he was traded to Atlanta for cash in mid-November. He was claimed off waivers a month later by the White Sox.

Keegan Thompson last pitched in the Majors back in 2024 with the Cubs. He signed with the Reds in November but was DFA’d in late December by the team.

Thompson was able to induce whiffs at the MLB level. And this past season, he struck out 83 over 64 frames with Triple-A Iowa. The 30-year-old also incorporated a sinker to go along with his four-seamer, which is notable given that he rarely used it in 2023 and 2024 with the Cubs.

Also, in a corresponding move, Baltimore designated Jhonkensy Noel for assignment. Noel was claimed a few days earlier by the O’s.

Guardians sign catcher

The Guardians announced that catcher Dom Nunez re-signed with the team on a Minor League deal. Additionally, Nunez will receive a non-roster invite to Spring Training.