Whirlwind offseason ends for Pirates waiver claim as former top prospect waits in limbo

Major League Baseball's waiver wire can be a quiet place in winter. For Marco Luciano, it was anything but.

What began as a stunning fall from grace with the San Francisco Giants turned into a month-long pinball game across baseball’s transaction ledge. By the time the dust settled, Luciano found himself with the New York Yankees, safely through waivers, ticketed for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and invited to big-league camp.

For a former consensus top-10 prospect, that’s not the ending anyone imagined. But in a strange way, it’s also the cleanest one Luciano has had all offseason.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the first to take a chance on Luciano when they claimed him off waivers from San Francisco in December. But when Pittsburgh DFA’d him just days later — alongside Tsung-Che Cheng — it wasn’t a referendum on either player so much as collateral damage from a roster crunch created by the three-team deal that brought in Brandon Lowe, Mason Montgomery and Jake Mangum.

From there, Luciano’s winter became transactional whiplash. Claimed. Designated. Claimed again. The Baltimore Orioles took a look. The Yankees ultimately took the plunge — and, crucially, kept him. He’s still just 24, still owns real power, and now lands in an organization that has made a habit of turning once-discarded talent into useful depth.

Former top Pirates prospect Tsung-Che Cheng claimed of waivers by Red Sox as future remains in limbo

For Luciano, the whirlwind finally stopped. For Cheng, it still hasn’t. Not yet, anyway.

On Friday, Cheng was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox, the latest stop on what has become the most dizzying DFA carousel of the winter. In roughly a month, Cheng has passed through the Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, and now Boston.

Cheng’s profile explains both the interest and the uncertainty. He’s a plus runner with real defensive versatility across the infield, but the his hasn’t followed him up the ladder. A .207/.305/.267 line in Triple-A last season doesn’t scream major-league ready, and seven hitless big-league plate appearances with Pittsburgh did little to change the perception.

Cheng is a low-cost, optionable piece, but Boston’s roster math is tight. The 40-man roster is now full, and recently-signed former Pirate Isiah Kiner-Falefa still needs a spot. More moves are coming — and when veterans arrive late in camp, players like Cheng are usually the first to feel the squeeze.