Five of the six players released by the Los Angeles Angels two days ago reportedly were claimed off the waiver wire by other Major League Baseball teams on Thursday.
The Angels confirmed Thursday that the Cleveland Guardians picked up right-handed starter Lucas Giolito and a pair of relievers — left-hander Matt Moore and right-hander Reynaldo Lopez.
The Cincinnati Reds claimed outfielder Hunter Renfroe from the Angels and former New York Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader, who was also released this week.
The Seattle Mariners, in contention for the American League West title, grabbed right-handed reliever Dominic Leone off the waiver wire from Los Angeles.
Among the players released by the Angels, only outfielder Randal Grichuk was not claimed and will stay with the club.
The Ohio teams’ moves signify their push for a postseason berth.
The Reds are closer than the Guardians, one game out of the third National League wild-card spot entering play Thursday.
At the trade deadline, the Guardians appeared to be sellers, trading starting pitcher Aaron Civale to the Tampa Bay Rays and first baseman Josh Bell to the Miami Marlins. But the Minnesota Twins, who like the Guardians are off Thursday, have failed to run away with the division.
Cleveland beat Minnesota twice in a three-game series this week to enter September under .500 at 64-70 but only five games behind the Twins for the AL Central lead. Their waiver acquisitions indicate a change of direction with their final three games of the season with the Twins set for next week.
To clear roster space for the pitchers, the Guardians designated catcher Eric Haase and right-hander Peyton Battenfield for assignment.
Haase played in just three games for the Guardians after the picked him up off waivers from the Detroit Tigers. He was 2-for-10 at the plate.
Battenfield, a rookie, was 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) for Cleveland.
The Angels traded prospects before the Aug. 1 deadline to acquire Giolito, Lopez, Leone, Grichuk and infielder C.J. Cron as they decided to go all in and chase a wild-card spot in what could be their final season with MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani on the roster. But since the Aug. 1 deadline, the Angels are 8-19 and out of the postseason race, with Ohtani unable to pitch the rest of the season and star outfielder Mike Trout on the injured list.
Having the players claimed by other teams will save the Angels about $5.7 million, the Orange County Register reported.
–Field Level Media
