The Los Angeles Angels have seemingly waved the white flag on the 2023 season, placing four players on waivers, including former White Sox pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the move also involves placing outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers, and represents a “salary dump” for the slumping Angels:
Giolito and López were traded to the Angels on July 26 in exchange for minor league prospects Ky Bush and Edgar Quero.
Giolito has appeared in six games for the Angels, posting a 1-5 record and a 6.89 ERA. He has given up 10 home runs in just 32.2 innings, with 34 strikeouts and 15 walks.
López has appeared in 12 games for Los Angeles, with a 2.31 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work.
Both Giolito and López are free agents at season’s end, meaning that any team that claims them on waivers would have to pay their prorated salaries for the remainder of the year.
Teams will get waiver priority based on their current record, and Passan believes multiple playoff teams could be in the market for any of the four players.
As for the Angels, they have been in a free fall since the MLB trade deadline, falling 11.5 games back in the wild card race. They also have lost the pitching services of Shohei Ohtani for the remainder of the season, leading them to decide to trim salary for the remainder of the year.
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