The Padres were active in the Rule 5 draft on Wednesday, selecting right-handed pitcher Juan Nuñez from the Baltimore Orioles. The 24-year-old posted a 2.45 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 29⅓ innings at high Single-A Aberdeen, holding opponents to a .212 batting average and a 1.09 WHIP.
Despite a shoulder injury, the Padres are excited about his potential, with a scout praising his combination of stuff, upside, and feel. Nuñez throws in the 92-98 mph range with a slider, cutter, and change-up. He has primarily been a starter but has yet to advance past high A, with an impressive 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.32 ERA over 203⅔ innings in the minors.
This marks the third consecutive year the Padres have participated in the Rule 5 draft. They selected reliever Jose Lopez in 2022, but he did not make it past spring training. Last year, they picked Stephen Kolek, who briefly appeared on the active roster before suffering a forearm injury. Kolek did not pitch in 2024.
In the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft, teams must pay a $100,000 fee and keep the player on the active roster for the full season, with the option to return the player for half the fee. The Padres were active early in GM A.J. Preller’s tenure, selecting several players in 2016 and 2017.
Nuñez, ranked No. 8 in the Orioles system by MLB.com and No. 20 by Baseball America, originally signed with the Twins in 2019 for $25,000 and was traded to the Orioles in 2022. Along with Nuñez, the Padres also selected right-hander Eiker Huizi, outfielder Jake Snider, and catcher Andy Thomas in the minor league phase, but they lost reliever C.J. Widger to the Giants.
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