The Los Angeles Angels reversed course a month after acquiring at trade deadline.
Starter Lucas Giolito, relievers Matt Moore, Reinaldo Lopez and Dominic Leone, and outfielders Hunter Renfro and Randall Grichuk were all waived by the Angels. ESPN reported on Tuesday. The Angels are trying to stay below the luxury tax threshold, so they could sign all six players as early as Thursday.
[RELATED: Why the Angels put Lucas Giolito, deadline additions on waivers — and what happens next]
Waiver claim priority is based on come-from-behind winning percentage, so the worst teams in MLB will have the chance to claim these players first. They are most likely to face a team on the fringes of playoff contention, one with a higher Weber ranking than the best in the league.
Los Angeles acquired Jolito, Lopez and Grichuk ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline and sent two of its top prospects to the White Sox to acquire Jolito and Lopez. But the Angels crumbled after the deadline, losing seven in a row and slipping from three games behind playoffs to eight games in a week.
The Angels’ struggle continued through August. They’re 7-18 this month, falling to 63-69, 11.5 games into the playoffs on Tuesday.
Los Angeles also learned in early August that Shohei Ohtani suffered a UCL tear in his pitching elbow, ending his season on the mound. He’s hit since, but it wasn’t enough, as the Angels made the move in hopes of keeping Ohtani, who went free agency this offseason. Additionally, Mike Trout returned to the injured list after two games last week.
Shohei Ohtani’s UCL rupture, Ohtani’s future, Angels manager and more
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