The team also exercised its club option on right-handers Andrew Kittredgewhich they acquired from the Cubs earlier this week. The Orioles declined their club option on utilityman Jorge Mateowho is now a free agent. They also announced the signing of an outfielder Leody Taverasa deal reported yesterday. The litany of moves brought Baltimore’s 40-man roster to 40 players.
Nunez stopped by at the trade deadline in the Carlo Mullins deal, along with fellow pitching prospects Raimon Gomez And Chandler Swamp. The 24-year-old was originally signed by San Diego as a shortstop in 2019. After a few uninspiring seasons in the lower rungs of the minors, he switched to pitching. The Mets signed Nunez in 2024. He pitched 10 innings that season between the Complex League and Single-A. High-A hitters were no match for Nunez in 2025, as he dominated with a 0.63 ERA and a 46.2% strikeout rate over 14 1/3 innings. Nunez moved to Double-A in May and continued to pitch well, posting a 2.10 ERA over 22 appearances. After the trade, he pitched one game for Double-A Chesapeake before moving to Triple-A. Nunez held hitters to a .125 batting average while shutting them out with a 32.3% batting average over 16 games with Norfolk.
Carlson and Johnson cleared waivers and opted for free agency. Dubin also cleared waivers and is a minor league free agent. Carlson is the biggest name of the bunch, but it’s been a while since his days as the Cardinals’ top prospect. Since a strong 2021 campaign with St. Louis, he has steadily declined at the plate. The 27-year-old bottomed out with a 67 wRC+ over 96 games split between the Cardinals and Rays in 2024. Baltimore took a flyer on him, but he shuffled to a .203/.278/.336 slash line over 241 plate appearances. He will now look for his fourth team in three seasons.
Johnson has spent parts of four MLB seasons with three teams. Baltimore took him off waivers from San Francisco in August. He went 5-for-24 in 17 games with the Orioles. Dubin was also an August waiver claim from the Astros. He threw eight innings with Baltimore and pitched to an ERA of 3.38.
Walker has had a lot of action over the past year and a half. The Mets traded him to the Pirates in mid-2024. Last season, he signed with Toronto as a minor league free agent. The Blue Jays traded him to the Phillies in late May. After Philadelphia designated him for assignment in August, the Orioles claimed him off waivers. Walker has a 6.59 ERA over 26 big league appearances over the past three seasons.
Ragsdale and Castillo are no strangers to waiver claims, including actions involving each other. Baltimore claimed Ragsdale from San Francisco in August, but threw him back on the waiver wire when they took Castillo. The Orioles claimed Ragsdale again in September, this time from the Braves.
Houston signed Leon in 2021. He reached Triple-A that same season. Leon slashed .299/.372/.514 with Sugar Land in 2024, leading to a brief call-up. He recorded a pair of hits over seven games with the Astros before returning to Triple-A. An MCL sprain cost Leon the majority of the 2025 campaign. He played just 25 games last season.
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