MLB's waiver wire madness continued into the weekend. Saturday afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles claimed righty reliever Jorge López off waivers from the Miami Marlins, the team announced. Miami acquired López in a deadline trade with the Minnesota Twins and are cutting bait only a month later. The Marlins save about $600,000 in the salary dump.
It's important to note the postseason roster eligibility deadline was 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31. Because López was claimed after the deadline, he will not be able to pitch in the postseason for the AL East-leading Orioles. He can, however, help the club in September as they try to hold off the hard-charging Tampa Bay Rays for the division title.
López, an All-Star last season, is the seventh established player claimed on waivers in the last 48 hours, joining Harrison Bader, Lucas Giolito, Dominic Leone, Reynaldo López, Matt Moore, and Hunter Renfroe. Giolito, López, and Moore went to the Cleveland Guardians, Bader and Renfroe went to the Cincinnati Reds, and Leone went to the Seattle Mariners.
The 30-year-old López returns to Baltimore, where he spent parts of the 2020-22 seasons. The O's traded him to the Twins at last year's deadline for a package that included All-Star setup man Yennier Cano, then Minnesota flipped López to the Marlins for Dylan Floro at this year's deadline. Floro will be a free agent after the season.
For the Orioles, claiming López is not just about September. He will remain under team control as an arbitration-eligible player next season. All-Star closer Félix Bautista is out with an elbow ligament injury and those typically require a lengthy rehab even when the player avoids Tommy John surgery. And, obviously, Tommy John surgery would sideline Bautista all of 2024.
O's manager Brandon Hyde has not committed to a set closer during Bautista's absence. López, who saved 19 games for the Orioles last season, could be in the late inning mix with Cano. Baltimore's bullpen currently looks like this:
López has pitched to a 5.55 ERA in 69 2/3 innings since leaving the Orioles last summer. That includes allowing 13 runs in 11 2/3 innings with the Marlins in August. The O's moved López into the bullpen full-time late in 2021 and last season he threw 48 1/3 innings with a 1.68 ERA before being dealt at the deadline.
Baltimore enters play Saturday 1.5 games up on the Rays in the AL East. They are 83-51 and are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for baseball's second-best record. The Marlins are 68-67 and two games behind the third National League wild-card spot.
López being awarded to the Orioles on waivers means every team other than the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves declined to put in a claim.
