Current:Home > MyAngels go from all-in to folding, inexplicably placing six veterans on waivers -ProfitPioneers Hub
Angels go from all-in to folding, inexplicably placing six veterans on waivers
View
Date:2025-04-12 20:23:04
The Los Angeles Angels are the gift that keeps on giving.
Just when everyone questioned why they didn’t trade Shohei Ohtani before his torn UCL, wondering why they decided to go for it by trading away their top prospects for rentals, they’re now ready to shower the baseball landscape with Christmas gifts in August.
You want starter Lucas Giolito, who they acquired just a month ago at the trade deadline, he’s all yours.
You want relievers Matt Moore, Reynaldo Lopez and Dominic Leone, put in your claim.
You want outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk, you know what to do.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salaries and payrolls for every major league team
The dirty half-dozen veteran players, all who are free agents at the season’s conclusion, were unceremoniously placed on waivers Tuesday afternoon.
If you’re a contender, all you have to do is put in a waiver claim, and they could be helping you play deep into October.
It doesn’t cost you a single prospect, either, just picking up the final month of their contract.
The teams with the worst record on waiver claims will have first dibs.
This means a team like the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are fighting for their playoff lives (69-63), will certainly be placing bids on any available pitcher.
The same goes with the San Francisco Giants (68-63), who would love to see Giolito in their rotation.
You don’t think the Texas Rangers (74-57) will be claiming Moore and Lopez for their bullpen?
The Minnesota Twins (69-63), desperate for offense, could use Renfroe or Grichuk.
The Houston Astros (75-58) and Philadelphia Phillies (73-58) are salivating at the chance of acquiring Moore, considered the most talented player placed on waivers with his 3-1 record, 2.30 ERA, and 47 strikeouts in 43 innings.
Playoff contenders are frantically calling their scouts and buzzing their analytics department trying to decide just who to claim in waivers.
The Angels (63-69), who gambled by keeping Ohtani, doubled down by acquiring four of those players at the deadline, now have officially walked away from the table with empty pockets.
This is nothing more than a salary dump, shedding $7 million if they’re all claimed, to assure they stay under the luxury tax.
Then again, if the Angels really wanted to make sure they’d stay under the tax, they could have made a travesty out of the system by placing Ohtani on waivers, saving about $5 million.
Oh, and you can be sure they would have loved to place Anthony Rendon on that list, but they realize there’s not enough time in a happy hour for any intoxicated executive to pick up the three years and $114 million remaining on that horrific contract.
EVEN WHEN NOT PITCHING: Shohei Ohtani shows he's still a generational talent
The Angels aren’t the only team flooding the market with players on waivers. The New York Yankees released veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson and placed outfielder Harrison Bader on waivers. The Chicago White Sox placed starter Mike Clevinger on waivers. The New York Mets did the same with starter Carlos Carrasco.
The difference is that the Angels were the only team among those teams that went all-in at the deadline, hoping a playoff race would entice Ohtani to stay when he hits free agency in November.
Instead, the Angels went 7-17, and fell 11 ½ games out of a wild-card berth.
They didn’t just wave the white flag Tuesday, they wadded it in a ball and tossed it into the Pacific.
Time will tell just how Ohtani views the Angels’ cash-savings moves.
Here he is, still playing as a DH despite his torn UCL, giving everything humanly possible to win.
But he’s playing for a team that just informed the baseball world they no longer have any intention of trying to win, much less compete.
Who knows, maybe the money saved will be utilized to help sign Ohtani?
Or perhaps, just the moves alone will extinguish any desire Ohtani has in staying with the Angels.
We’ll see.
It’s the Angels, who have cornered the market in bewilderment, making it foolish to believe it’s possible to accurately predict their next move.
Let the waiver wire frenzy begin.
Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale.
veryGood! (88)
Related
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- AI experimentation is high risk, high reward for low-profile political campaigns
- Toyota recalls 13,000 cars over camera defect that increases risk of hitting pedestrians
- 2024 Tony Awards: See Every Red Carpet Fashion Moment
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- 'We love you, Papa': Princess Kate shoots new Prince William pic for Father's Day
- Longtime Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler, who was accused of sexual abuse, dies at 94
- US aircraft carrier counters false Houthi claims with ‘Taco Tuesdays’ as deployment stretches on
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Kate Middleton Shares Sweet Photo of Prince William and Kids at the Beach for Father's Day
Ranking
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Remains in former home of man convicted of killing wife identified as those of missing ex-girlfriend
- South Africa reelects President Cyril Ramaphosa after dramatic coalition deal
- Justin Bieber's Mom Looks Back at Hailey Bieber's Pregnancy Reveal in Emotional Father's Day Tribute
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Princess Kate makes first public appearance since cancer diagnosis
- Florida couple wins $1 million lottery prize just before their first child is born
- Peruvian research team works to track infectious disease in tropical regions
Recommendation
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
15-year-old shot in neck, 5 others hurt in shooting on Chicago's Northwest Side
28 rescued after ride malfunctions at century-old amusement park in Oregon
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Sink, Sank, Sunk
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Eriksen scores in Denmark’s 1-1 draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024, 3 years after his onfield collapse
Surgeon general calls on Congress to require social media warning labels, like those on cigarettes
Biden campaign calls Trump a convicted felon in new ad about former president's legal cases