The Orioles stared down Friday night’s deadline to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and added two prospects: right-handed pitchers Joe Gunkel and Jesús Liranzo.
It’s a bit of a surprise in the sense that the Orioles had seven open 40-man spots, so they could have added several more players if they chose. It’s not much of a surprise in the sense that there aren’t any other good Rule 5 eligible players in the entire Orioles system.
Gunkel, or “The Gunk” as he is affectionately known by some Camden Chat writers, was an 18th round pick by the Red Sox in the 2013 draft.