On Monday, the Baltimore Orioles claimed Jhonkensy Noel off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians.
On Wednesday, they designated Big Christmas for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster and thus exposing him to waivers again.
The move was made to clear roster space for Marco Luciano, who was claimed off waivers on Wednesday from the San Francisco Giants.
Except, well, why did the Orioles get Noel in the first place? There's actually a path where this makes sense.
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Why did Orioles DFA Jhonkensy Noel?
The Orioles likely don't want to get rid of Noel. Instead, they want to have both Noel and Luciano in their organization.
There's risk to this move, of course. Noel could get claimed off waivers by another team.
But it's a calculated risk. A DFA doesn't release a player. It just takes them off the 40-man roster.
If Noel clears waivers, he remains in the Orioles' organization and would likely open the 2026 season at Triple-A Norfolk.
They had to put him on the 40-man roster automatically after claiming him from the Guardians.
But now, the Orioles are trying to keep adding this offseason. If Noel clears waivers, they get to have him and Luciano, which is two players with a strong pedigree added to the organization in short order.
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