Orioles don't make selections in both phases of Rule 5 draft, six players lost in Triple-A portion

The Orioles completed another Winter Meetings without selecting a player in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.

It used to be tradition.

The club passed again with the 24^th pick in the first round, extending its streak to two consecutive years. The Orioles had a stretch of 18 drafts in a row with a selection prior to the 2023 Winter Meetings.

The most recent choice was reliever Andrew Politi, who returned to the Red Sox as a late camp cut.

The Orioles lost their No. 8 prospect today to the Padres, right-hander Juan Nuñez, who hasn’t pitched above High-A ball and appeared in only seven games this summer due to a shoulder injury.

Nuñez, 24, was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk’s roster, which made him eligible for the major league phase. He must stay with the Padres all season, whether on their active roster or injured list, or go on waivers and be offered back to the Orioles if he clears.

The Orioles acquired Nuñez from the Twins as part of the four-pitcher package for Jorge López on Aug. 2, 2022. Yennier Cano, Cade Povich and Juan Rojas also were included. Nuñez had a 2.45 ERA in 29 1/3 innings this summer with the Aberdeen IronBirds and owns a 3.32 ERA with 288 strikeouts in 230 2/3.

There was lots of activity today in the Triple-A phase, but with six players leaving the organization. The Orioles passed when their turn came up.

The Rockies selected right-hander Tyler Burch from the Double-A Bowie roster. Burch drew interest from multiple clubs and figured to go in the top five.

Burch was acquired from the Phillies in the 2021 Freddy Galvis trade. He finished this season at Double-A Bowie, and scouts got an additional look when he made four appearances with the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League.

Burch began the season on the injured list following arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow and allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings with High-A Aberdeen on a rehab assignment.

The Rays selected right-hander Dan Hammer, a 13^th-round pick in 2019 out of the University of Pittsburgh.

Hammer, 27, had a combined 4.67 ERA in 32 relief appearances with Bowie and High-A Aberdeen. He walked 26 batters and struck out 51 in 44 1/3 innings.

Hammer has registered a 5.11 ERA and 1.599 WHIP in 109 games. He averages 7.6 walks and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Dodgers selected Double-A Bowie outfielder John Rhodes, 24, a third-round pick in 2021 out of the University of Kentucky.

Rhodes appeared in 104 games with the Baysox and hit .202/.271/.309 with 16 doubles and eight home runs. He’s a career .225/.319/.369 hitter in 324 games.

Right-hander Jean Pinto, 23, was selected by the Astros. He was traded by the Angels to the Orioles with right-hander Garrett Stallings on Dec. 2, 2020 in exchange for shortstop Jose Iglesias.

Pinto has posted a 3.11 ERA in 63 games, with 307 strikeouts in 251 2/3 innings. He didn't pitch in 2024 after going on the Baysox's full-season injured list.

The Brewers chose right-hander Zach Peek, who made five appearances with Single-A Delmarva on an injury-rehab assignment and three with Bowie. He's posted a 3.90 ERA in 47 minor league games and underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2022.

The Orioles acquired Peek, Kyle Bradish, Kyle Brnovich and Isaac Mattson from the Angels for Dylan Bundy on Dec. 4, 2019.

And finally, the Phillies selected High-A outfielder Elio Prado, 23, in the fifth round. He batted .223/.332/.327 in 76 games with Aberdeen.

Prado was in the Orioles organization since the 2019 trade that sent Andrew Cashner to the Red Sox.

Sixty-eight players were chosen overall in the Triple-A phase.

The White Sox used the first-overall pick in the major league phase by plucking right-hander Shane Smith from the Brewers organization. Thirteen players were chosen, compared to 10 last year.

Teams must pay $100,000 to make a claim.

* Bradish, recovering from Tommy John surgery, is playing catch at PUSH Performance in Arizona as part of his rehab.

Bradish posted a video on his Instagram account and wrote “Back at it.”

* The Birdland Caravan is scheduled to run from Jan. 30-Feb 1. More information will be posted later.

* FanSided’s Robert Murray reports that the Rangers are signing former Orioles reliever Jacob Webb to a one-year deal.

* The Orioles have promoted Will Robertson to director of player personnel.

Robertson was a special assignment scout. He’s the first director of player personnel since executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias was hired in November 2018.

* White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet reportedly has been traded to the Red Sox, removing another starter who would have fit at the front of the Orioles rotation.

Chicago receives catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez. Teel was the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s system. All four players were ranked within the top 14.