Can Dodgers Acquire Lucas Giolito, Hunter Renfroe or Any of the Angels’ Waived Players?
The baseball world was taken by storm Tuesday afternoon when Jeff Passan broke the news that the Angels are waiving starters Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore, Reynaldo López, Hunter Renfroe, and Randal Grichuk.
The Angels were huge buyers at this year’s trade deadline acquiring most of the names listed above within that week.
The biggest name is Giolito, formerly from the Chicago White Sox. A trade that brought Giolito and López to Anaheim also saw the departure of the team’s No. 2 and 3 ranked prospects in the Minor Leagues.
Other moves to acquire C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk from the Colorado Rockies put the Angels in a prime position to contend for a Wild Card spot in the American League. However, since the trade deadline, the Angels have been one of the worst teams in the MLB with an abysmal 7-17 record.
The news today is a result of the team waving the white flag and surrendering for the rest of the season as they look to give these players a chance to be picked up by playoff teams.
This is where the Dodgers come in.
Waivers are a tricky place where the order of what team gets the players is in reverse order of the regular season record. The teams with the worst record are above the teams with better records. Unfortunately in this situation, the Dodgers owning the third-best record in the MLB is hurting them.
At 81-49, the Dodgers are most likely not going to get a chance at picking up Lucas Giolito, whom the team was interested in heavily at the trade deadline. However, his recent struggles with the Angels may deter some of the fringe playoff teams that may think he could cost them precious games. The Dodgers having an amazing record, giving them a safety blanket to help fix whatever Giolito is dealing with right now.
Who could the Dodgers possibly acquire from the bunch?
Relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo López are the two most likely names to be on the Dodgers’ radar as Randal Grichuk does not provide enough of a bat to warrant a claim and Hunter Renfroe will most likely also be taken by a Wild Card team that needs a power bat in the lineup.
Some fans would like to see the bullpen pieces in Dodger blue.
Matt Moore has been very good in 2023. In 43 innings for the Angels, he has a 2.30 ERA and 20 holds. A very impressive year for the 34-year-old arm may result in him being taken by a team ahead of the Dodgers in the waiver order.
Reynaldo López has tossed 53.2 innings in 2023 spread between the White Sox and Angels and he has a 3.86 ERA on the year. With the Angels he made 12 appearances to the tune of a 2.31 ERA. A talented arm coming out of the pen could definitely be something the Dodgers would look to add.
The bullpen needs help for the Dodgers as players like Yency Almonte and Joe Kelly are currently on the IL. So replacing them with plus arms on the waiver could be a move the Dodgers will make if they are given the chance to claim him.
Sitting at 81-49 the Dodgers are going to be the NL West division winners, but that does not mean they will stop adding to the roster if quality players fall to them in the waivers.
Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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