The Braves wanted a lefty José Suarez waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. The southpaw was designated for offer by Baltimore last week when they named the infielder Weston Wilson. Atlanta’s designated right-hander George Soriano by share today as a parallel action to this claim.
It was less than two weeks ago that Atlanta placed Suarez on waivers, which is when Baltimore sued him. It may seem strange for a team to waive a player and then claim him soon after. At the same time, it might be surprising to see a club looking for a guy and bringing him back on the phone so quickly. In these cases, the teams hope to be the ones to release the player without permission, which would allow them to end up not playing. Atlanta and Baltimore are two of the most aggressive clubs in trying this.
It seems to be the sixth time this season that one club is looking for a player from another. Atlanta wanted both Carson Ragsdale again Josh Walker from the Orioles in November, though Ragsdale was later non-tendered and signed in Japan. Walker was reinstated from waivers in December, when the Orioles brought him back. Baltimore waived him off unclaimed waivers in January. Atlanta then claimed Soriano from Baltimore, before Baltimore claimed Suarez from Atlanta. Now Atlanta wants Suarez again.
Suarez, 28, has featured in the past seven major league seasons. He spent most of his time as a player for the Angels but returned to Atlanta in 2025. In his career, he has thrown 396 major league innings, allowing 5.30 runs per nine.
His 2025 season was spent mostly in the minors. He played only seven major league games in Atlanta. He had a solid 1.86 ERA but that was a small sample size with strong indications that it won’t last. His 51.9% ground ball rate was good but his 19.8% strikeout rate and 12.3% walk rate were both low. He was lucky to allow a .259 batting average on balls in play while posting an 84.7% strikeout rate.
His Triple-A results were more impressive, despite the fact that his 3.53 ERA was high. He struck out 27.6% of the batters he faced at that rate while issuing only 5% walks. He averaged 93 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker last year, while mastering his 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 but it seems the club were hoping to move him to the minors by extending him. Baltimore went for it on their first attempt but Atlanta turned it back. He has a roster spot for now but maybe Atlanta will make another attempt to release him in the future.
Soriano, 27 in March, is in a similar situation. He played for the Marlins three years ago but exhausted his options in the draft. Since he is out of the money, it seems that there is a small battle as these clubs hope that they will be the ones to pass on him and they did not get it, so they kept him out of the youth list. The Marlins put him on the phone in November, when he was wanted by the Orioles. Baltimore reclaimed him from waivers three weeks ago but Atlanta claimed him.
He has yet to find 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 threw 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. He averages about 96 mph with his seamer and sinker while carrying a slider and changeup.
Now that he’s been designated for assignment again, he’s in DFA limbo and could be there for the rest of the week. The waiver process lasts 48 hours, so the club can hold him for the next five days while they explore trade interest, but they can bring him back on the phone sooner if they choose.
Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images
