Two Players Claimed off Waivers by Orioles To Bolster Their Thinning Roster

Two more moves have been made by the Baltimore Orioles, this time claiming two players off waivers.

Feb 27, 2024; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays catcher Rene Pinto (50) singles during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Charlotte Sports Park / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

There has been no busier team this offseason than the Baltimore Orioles, and that continues to be the case with roster decisions being made across Major League Baseball.

After parting ways with their hitting coaches, they decided to promote Cody Asche to that position and bring in someone from the outside to serve as his assistant.

They also picked up multiple club options, including the one of slugger Ryan O'Hearn and relievers Seranthony Dominguez and Cionel Perez, but even with those players returning in 2025, the Orioles have a thinning roster with other decisions that have been made.

To combat that, they announced the waiver claims of catcher Rene Pinto from the Tampa Bay Rays and pitcher Thaddeus Ward from the Washington Nationals.

We have claimed C René Pinto off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays and RHP Thaddeus Ward off waivers from the Washington Nationals.

Welcome to Baltimore, guys! pic.twitter.com/EfJ7OS6nJQ

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) November 4, 2024

Pinto actually began the 2024 campaign as the starting catcher for the Rays, but after struggles early on, he was demoted just 19 games into the year and never returned to the Majors.

Across his 82 career MLB contests, he has a slash line of .231/.263/.404 with 10 homers, 19 extra-base hits and 32 RBI that put his OPS+ at 86.

He is now the third catcher on Baltimore's 40-man roster, joining Adley Rutschman and Blake Hunt.

Ward was a fifth-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2018, but after they didn't project him for the 2022 Rule 5 draft, he was taken No. 1 overall by the Nationals.

He appeared in 26 games for Washington during the 2023 season, posting a 6.37 ERA, but struggles are expected for first-time MLB players after they have to stay on active rosters following the Rule 5 draft.

Ward spent all of 2024 in the minors where he was used as a starter. He had 28 outings and recorded a 5.64 ERA.

It's unclear how the Orioles might view him within their organization going forward, but considering they have question marks in their starting rotation and all of his minor league appearances were as a starter, that could be the role they envision for him in the future.