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Former Athletics pitching prospect Eduarniel Núñez delivers a pitch during a spring training appearance. The Orioles acquired the hard-throwing right-hander after the Athletics designated the ex-Top 25 prospect for assignment.

The Baltimore Orioles are taking a low-risk gamble on upside, acquiring hard-throwing right-hander Eduarniel Núñez from the Athletics after the former Top 25 prospect was designated for assignment earlier this week, MLB Trade Rumors‘ Steve Adams reported Friday.

As a member of the San Diego organization last season, Núñez was valued highly enough to be included in the trade deadline deal that brought elite closer Mason Miller from the Athletics to the Padres.

Even so, Núñez lands in Baltimore with his stock on the downhill side. His command issues have never faded and a troubling velocity slide in 2026 has pushed him toward the fringes at the relatively young age of 26. Nonetheless, according to scouting reports, Núñez still possesses the type of elite arm strength that has kept talent evaluators interested since his breakout rise through the minors.

Eduarniel Núñez: A 101 MPH Arm Baltimore is Betting On

MLB Pipeline clocked Núñez at 101 mph at his peak, pairing that explosive fastball, graded 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale, with a 70-grade slider that sits in the upper 80s and has generated elite whiff and chase rates in the minors. His two-pitch combination could keep Núñez in play for a bullpen role even when everything else is slipping.

The right-hander’s professional journey began in 2017 when the Chicago Cubs signed him out of Samana, in the Dominican Republic. He spent seven seasons in Chicago’s system before the Cubs released him after 2024. The Padres then signed him as a minor league free agent only to ship him and three other prospects to the Athletics for Miller and pitcher JP Sears.

His 2026 numbers complicate the picture significantly. Across 13 2/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A, Núñez has compiled an acceptable 4.61 ERA. But he issued free passes to nearly one of every five batters faced since joining the Athletics organization, walking or hitting 19.3% of opponents between the majors and minors. Six wild pitches in 33.1 total innings add further texture to a command profile that evaluators have long flagged as the obstacle between Núñez and a legitimate big-league role.

Núñez Command and Velocity Concerns in 2026

The velocity decline only makes the concern over Núñez’s future more serious. The four-seamer that touched 101 mph averaged 98.1 mph last season, a legitimate weapon. But in 2026 it settled at 95 mph, a 3 mph drop that scouts will watch closely, according to Adams’ reporting at MLB Trade Rumors. His slider has lost velocity as well, declining from 88.5 mph to 87 mph. Whether mechanics or wear-and-tear account for the regression, Baltimore’s pitching development staff will now try to figure out.

To open the 40-man roster spot, the Orioles designated right-hander Christian Roa for assignment. Roa, 27, a former 48th-overall pick out of Texas A&M, in 2020, is enduring his third DFA of the 2026 season after brief organizational stays with the Marlins, Astros, and Twins.

For an Orioles organization still searching for reliable bullpen upside behind its established late-inning arms, the Núñez move represents the type of no-risk pitching lottery ticket contenders increasingly target during the long MLB season. If Baltimore can help the former high-level prospect rediscover the elite fastball that once made him one of baseball’s more intriguing relief prospects, this under-the-radar trade could wind up looking far more significant by the summer.