The Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox made a trade less than a week before the MLB Trade Deadline.
This deal sent Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to southern California in exchange for some pretty good prospects.
They got Ky Bush and Edgar Quero back from the Angels and now they are considered to be part of the future for the White Sox if they develop well.
The Chicago White Sox are seeing their former pitchers on waivers now.
The thought at the time was that the Angels were going all in as Shohei Ohtani is set to be a free agent.
They were right there for a playoff spot and then pulled off this trade in addition to a couple of other good deals that made them better.
Unfortunately, some bad things happened to them. In fact, you can argue that they are having a more devastating season than the White Sox and it's not close.
They didn't trade Shohei Ohtani for a franchise altering return. Then, they started to just lose almost every game. They buried themselves in the standings.
Not long after that, Shohei Ohtani tore his UCL again. He is going to need Tommy John which ends his season as a pitcher. He will still hit but his future as a two-way player is cloudy.
Mike Trout came back from a long injury, was with them for one full day, and got put right back on the Injured List. They literally can't catch a break.
Now, they made some shocking news on Tuesday. They are placing Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez on waivers now just over a month since acquiring them for good prospects.
Matt Moore, Hunter Renfroe, and Randal Grichuk joined them on the waivers. This is simply the Angels dumping some salary for whatever reason. None of this is performance based. They are just going to get them a bit of salary relief.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Angels have placed starter Lucas Giolito, relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers, sources tell ESPN. Huge potential playoff implications: All can be claimed by teams for free on Thursday.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 29, 2023
All of these guys are eligible for the postseason. Whoever claims them will pay the rest of their salary this season. There are some really good players there, including Giolito and Lopez, who can make an impact in the playoffs.
This is honestly shocking news for the baseball world. Nobody saw a move like this coming. Lots of teams will be after them and the baseball world will be watching to see where they end up. Hopefully, it works out well for the former White Sox players.