The Orioles claimed Walker off waivers from Atlanta on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Walker went from Baltimore to Atlanta via waiver claim less than a month ago, and he'll now head back to the Orioles. The left-hander holds a career 6.59 ERA and 31:14 K:BB over 27.1 innings covering parts of three big-league seasons. Walker does not have minor-league options remaining.

The Orioles designated Romo for assignment Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The move frees a spot on the 40-man roster for Josh Walker, who was claimed off waivers. Romo was a waiver claim himself just last week, and he'll now go through the waivers process again. The switch-hitting catcher is 9-for-54 at the plate during his brief time in the majors.

The Twins selected Susac with the fourth pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday and then traded him to the Giants, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs reports.

Daniel's older brother Andrew was drafted by the Giants in 2011 and played his best two seasons in the majors with San Francisco in 2014 and 2015 as Buster Posey's backup, so it's understandable that Posey, the Giants president of baseball operations, would then trade for the younger Susac. The 24-year-old catcher was the No. 19 overall pick in 2022 and was left unprotected by the Athletics after he slashed .275/.349/.483 with 18 home runs and a 26.8 percent strikeout rate in 97 games in the Pacific Coast League. He is a fine defender, but Susac is a very aggressive hitter who will likely chase and strike out quite a bit if the Giants keep him on the big-league roster this season.

The Nationals selected McGarry with the third pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

McGarry has been a known prospect for several years due to his nasty stuff, but he has never thrown enough strikes as a starter. The 26-year-old righty logged a 3.44 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 124 strikeouts and 49 walks in 83.2 innings in 2025, primarily at Double-A. McGarry could be a late-inning weapon thanks to a devastating fastball/sweeper combination, but he'd need to improve his command to work in high-leverage spots.

The White Sox selected Paez with the second pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

A skinny 6-foot-1 righty from the Red Sox's farm system, Paez only logged 19.1 innings at Double-A in 2025 due to a calf injury. Long known for his stingy control, Paez's walk rates have been below four percent at ever stop since the start of the 2023 season. He lacks impact stuff, but if the White Sox can coax a bit more velocity out of his 91-92 mph fastball, Paez could make it as a back-end starter. He'll likely work as a low-leverage reliever for as long as he sticks on Chicago's active roster in 2026.

Bieber dealt with right forearm fatigue toward the end of this season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear exactly when the issue popped up for Bieber, who was the last Blue Jays hurler to throw a pitch in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers, serving up a go-ahead home run to Will Smith in the top of the 11th inning. General manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Bieber is "in a strong position" and the righty being ready for Opening Day is "a very realistic outcome." While the concern for Bieber doesn't currently seem to be high, the forearm issue and past Tommy John surgery surely weighed into the pitcher's decision to exercise a $16 million player option rather than test the open market. More should be known about Bieber's health status during spring training.

The Rockies selected Petit with the first pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

Petit, a 6-foot-8 righty from Detroit's farm system, split the 2025 season between Double-A and Triple-A, working primarily as a reliever. The 26-year-old logged a 2.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 33:10 K:BB and 51 percent groundball rate in 23 innings at Triple-A, and while he was used in relief, Petit has the stuff to start. He throws multiple mid-90s fastballs, with his four-seamer touching 98 mph, along with a nasty slider and a solid changeup. Now that he's in Colorado, there isn't much fantasy appeal, regardless of role.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Wednesday that the team has had internal conversations about whether to move Hence from a starting role to relief pitching, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals' main focus for Hence this offseason has been on a training and strengthening program, as well as some mechanical adjustments. The hope is that those things will help the 23-year-old stay healthy, but shifting Hence's role is also on the table. Hence was limited to just eight appearances in 2025 due to a lat strain and shoulder impingement, and injuries have prevented him from ever reaching 100 innings in a minor-league season. The righty entered the offseason healthy and without limitations.

The Orioles signed Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After losing their closer earlier this week, the Mets now watch their slugging first baseman walk out the door. The $31 million average annual value is a record for a first baseman. Alonso -- who just turned 31 over the weekend -- put together one of his better seasons in 2025 with the Mets, slashing .272/.347/.524 with 38 long balls and 126 RBI. The Orioles are now overloaded with first baseman/designated hitter types and seem likely to deal from that surplus for pitching help.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he expects Rice to play "a lot" against left-handed pitchers in 2026, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

The left-handed-hitting Rice's playing time against southpaws in 2025 was limited, though that was due in large part to Paul Goldschmidt's effectiveness versus lefties. Rice hit only .208 over 119 regular-season plate appearances against left-handers this past season, but he slugged seven home runs while boasting a .481 slugging percentage in those matchups. Heading into his age-27 season, Rice will be the Yankees' primary first baseman in 2026, and he could get an opportunity to be an everyday player.