The Braves have claimed left-hander José Suarez off waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. The southpaw was designated for assignment by Baltimore last week when they claimed infielder Weston Wilson. Atlanta designated right-hander George Soriano for assignment today as a corresponding move for this claim.
It was less than two weeks ago that Atlanta put Suarez on waivers, which is when Baltimore claimed him. It might seem odd for a team to put a player on waivers and then claim him right back shortly thereafter. Simultaneously, it might be strange to see a club claim a guy and then put him right back on the wire so quickly. In these instances, the teams are hoping to be the one to get the player through waivers unclaimed, which would allow them to keep him in a non-roster capacity. Atlanta and Baltimore are two of the most aggressive clubs at attempting this manoeuver.
This appears to be the sixth time in this offseason that one club has claimed a player from the other. Atlanta claimed both Carson Ragsdale and Josh Walker from the Orioles in November, though Ragsdale was later non-tendered and signed in Japan. Walker was put back on waivers in December, when the Orioles reclaimed him. Baltimore passed him through waivers unclaimed in January. Atlanta then claimed Soriano from Baltimore, before Baltimore claimed Suarez from Atlanta. Now Atlanta has claimed Suarez back again.
Suarez, 28, has appeared in the past seven big leagues seasons. He spent most of that time as a swingman for the Angels but also appeared with Atlanta in 2025. For his career, he has thrown 396 big league innings, allowing 5.30 earned runs per nine.
His 2025 season was mostly spent in the minors. He only made seven big league appearances for Atlanta. He had a strong 1.86 ERA but that was in a small sample with strong indications it would not be sustainable. His 51.9% ground ball rate was good but his 19.8% strikeout rate and 12.3% walk rate were both subpar. He was fortunate to allow a .259 batting average on balls in play while posting an 84.7% strand rate.
His Triple-A results were more impressive, despite the fact that his 3.53 ERA was higher. He struck out 27.6% of batters faced at that level while only giving out walks 5% of the time. He averaged around 93 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and sinker last year, while also featuring a slider, curveball and changeup.
At the end of the season, he and Atlanta avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $900K salary for the 2026 season. He is out of options and but it seems the club was hoping to get him to the minors by passing him through waivers. Baltimore intervened in their first attempt but Atlanta has snagged him back. He has a roster spot for now but perhaps Atlanta will make another attempt to get him through waivers in the future.
Soriano, 27 in March, is in a somewhat similar position. He pitched for the Marlins over the past three years but exhausted his options in the process. Now that he’s out of options, it seems there’s a small battle as these clubs hope to be the one to pass him through waivers unclaimed, therefore keeping him as non-roster depth in the minors. The Marlins put him on the wire in November, when he was claimed by the Orioles. Baltimore put him back on waivers about three weeks ago but Atlanta claimed him.
He hasn’t yet found major league success but is coming off a good year on the farm. He has a 5.95 ERA in 118 major league innings. He tossed 42 2/3 innings in Triple-A last year with a 2.32 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate. He averages about 96 mph with his four-seamer and sinker while also featuring a slider and a changeup.
Now that he has been designated for assignment again, he is in DFA limbo and can be there for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the club could hold him for the next five days while exploring trade interest, but they could also put him back on the wire sooner if they so choose.
Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images