Gaslamp Ball · Feb 7, 2025
Player Profile: Juan Nuñez
The San Diego Padres picked a pitcher for the third straight year in the Rule 5 draft during the 2024 Winter Meetings.
In 2022, reliever José Lopez was claimed from the Tampa Bay Rays but returned before the beginning of the season. In 2023, they claimed righty Stephen Kolek from the Seattle Mariners and kept him for the season, although he spent most of the second half of the season on the injured list with right forearm tendinitis.
In 2024, the team claimed RHP Juan Núñez from the Baltimore Orioles. To remain a Padre, he must stay on the 26-man roster for the entire season unless he is injured. Núñez comes in as the #11-rated prospect in the Padres system per mlb.com.