Major League Baseball

Guardians reportedly win waiver claims for Angels' Lucas Giolito, 2 others

Published Aug. 31, 2023 2:04 p.m. ET

The Guardians are the biggest winners of the Angels' late-season waive sale.

Cleveland was awarded starting pitcher Lucas Giolito plus relief pitchers Reynaldo López and Matt Moore off waivers, ESPN reported.

In addition, the Reds claimed Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe off waivers, according to multiple reports. The Reds also won the waiver claim for Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader.

Giolito, López, Moore and Renfroe were four of the six players Los Angeles placed on waivers on Tuesday as a means to shed salary and try and get its payroll below the $233 million competitive-balance-tax (CBT) threshold. Getting below that CBT threshold would allow the Angeles to receive a better compensation pick in the event of losing Shohei Ohtani in free agency this offseason and could also lead to diminished future luxury tax consequences.

The Angels made the decision roughly a month after they acquired both Giolito and López from the White Sox in the first of two trades that signaled they were going all-in on the 2023 season ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline. However, the Angels lost seven games in a row following the deadline, essentially ending their playoff hopes. They're 64-70 and 11.5 games out of a playoff spot as of Thursday.

Reliever Dominic Leone and outfielder Randal Grichuk were the other two players placed on waivers ahead of MLB's waiver deadline. It's unknown which teams claimed those players, if any, but it was expected that all six players would receive interest on the waiver market.

As for the Guardians, they also hold a 64-70 record entering Thursday. But they play in a weaker AL Central division, as they're only five games back of the Twins for the division lead.

The Reds, meanwhile, are one game back for the final wild-card spot in the National League.

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience