Cleveland Guardians claim Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Matt Moore off waivers
The Cleveland Guardians brought in a slew of pitching reinforcements Thursday by claiming starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and relievers Reynaldo López and Matt Moore off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels.
In a rather unorthodox array of moves, the Angels decided to waive a number of players from their roster as they slid down the standings post-All-Star break. Angels management did its best to bring in reinforcements to help two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and three-time MVP Mike Trout reach the postseason, but the moves didn't pan out (putting it lightly).
Ohtani suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow, ending his ability to pitch this season. Trout returned from the IL for just one game before needing to be placed on the injured list again. Couple those death blows with a sub-.500 record after the All-Star break and it made sense for the Angels to try to at least salvage their season from a financial standpoint by waiving players to get under the luxury tax threshold.
The Guardians were happy to oblige, picking up three former Angels pitchers — and the haul is certainly talented.
Guardians coverage: Gavin Williams leaves game early, but Guardians beat Twins
Giolito, though, struggled mightily after being traded to California, posting a 1-5 record with a 6.89 ERA in six starts with the Halos. His numbers prior with the Chicago White Sox, however, were very respectable. He posted a 6-6 record with a 3.79 ERA with the Southsiders. No doubt the Guardians will hope to get that version of Giolito after picking him up on the waiver wire.
López and Moore are also solid pickups to shore up what has been a disappointing bullpen unit in Cleveland this year. The former joined Giolito in the trade to the Angels from Chicago. He posted a 2.77 ERA in 13 appearances for the Angels before being waived.
Moore, a former All-Star starting pitcher with the Tampa Bay Rays, has reinvented himself as an elite lefty reliever in recent years.
During his time with the Angels throughout 2023 (41 appearances), Moore posted an impressive 2.66 ERA to go with a 4-1 record out of the 'pen. Opposing batters are slashing just .208/.270/.377 against him this year.
The Guardians were able to poach all three pitchers through waiver claims by having the worst record of the teams that placed claims.
The Guardians are five games behind the Minnesota Twins for the division lead in the AL Central. With roughly a month left in the season, it's unlikely the Guards claw all the way back, but now manager Terry Francona has more arms to work with.
While it's fair to say the Guardians probably needed more bats to wake up the offense, more pitching is never a bad thing, especially given the rash of injuries Cleveland has dealt with on the mound this season — thrusting many rookie pitchers into prominent roles.
In corresponding moves, the Guardians designated Eric Haase and Peyton Battenfield for assignment.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians claim Giolito, López and Moore off waivers from Angels
