Angels wave white flag, place 6 players, including trade deadline acquisitions, on waivers
Lucas Giolito found out on X he could become an ex-Angel.
ESPN reported Tuesday that Los Angeles has placed Giolito, relievers Dominic Leone, Matt Moore and Reynaldo Lopez, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers. Teams have until 2 p.m. EDT Thursday to claim the players.
Giolito said he read the news on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
"I'd say, surprised," Giolito said after a 12-7 loss to Philadelphia. "But at the end of the day, it's a business. It can be a very strange business sometimes. You just roll with it."
Los Angeles, 63-70 and headed to its eighth straight losing season, would get some salary relief if the players are claimed and their contracts assumed.
Giolito allowed three homers in a loss Monday.
ESPN cited unidentified sources confirming the waiver placements.
"Thursday is when it all goes down," Giolito said. "Until then, I'm here. We'll see what happens after Thursday."
Giolito was acquired before the trade deadline as the Angels went all-in — yes, to make the playoffs, but also to try and convince pending free agent Shohei Ohtani to re-sign. But the team is 7-19 since. The Phillies hit five homers Tuesday and sent the Angels to their seventh loss nine games.
All the players the Angels put on waivers can become free agents after the World Series. If they are all claimed, the franchise would save more than $7 million.
A player must be in an organization before midnight EDT Thursday to be eligible for a postseason roster.
"It's front office decisions that don't affect our room," Angels manager Phil Nevin said. "We've got to go out and win some games and play the games right. Business as usual. We've got to go out and play."
The Angels acquired Giolito and Reynaldo López from the Chicago White Sox in late July. The cost was steep: Los Angeles surrendered two of its top minor league prospects — left-hander Ky Bush and catcher Edgar Quero — to the White Sox, who got a solid return for two talented veteran pitchers.
Giolito spent his past seven big league seasons in Chicago's rotation, winning 59 games. He was an All-Star in 2019, and he threw a no-hitter on Aug. 25, 2020. He has finished in the top 11 in AL Cy Young voting three times.
He's 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA with the Angels.
The Angels followed up the Giolito deal at the deadline with another big trade. The Angels reacquired slugger C.J. Cron and Grichuk from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league pitchers Mason Albright and Jake Madden.
This aggressive trades were supposed to rid the Angels of their reputation for wasting the talents of MVPs Mike Trout and Ohtani. Owner Arte Moreno's club has the majors' longest streaks of consecutive losing seasons (seven) and consecutive non-playoff seasons (eight, tied with Detroit).
"That's the reality, they put me on waivers," Lopez said through a translator. "I'm still going to be here until whenever I get claimed. Whatever happens, I'm ready for it."