Angels' Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Matt Moore Claimed off Waivers by Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians have claimed right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, right-handed relief pitcher Reynaldo López and left-handed reliever Matt Moore off waivers on Thursday.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the news.

Giolito and López were two of six Los Angeles Angels players who were placed on waivers Tuesday, per Passan.

L.A. was hoping to compete for a playoff berth after finding itself in the wild-card race in late July and acquired numerous players prior to the deadline, including Giolito and López from the Chicago White Sox.

However, an 8-19 stretch has placed the Halos well outside the playoff picture. L.A. then dramatically changed course and essentially waved the white flag on its season.

Passan noted that the move "stunned the baseball industry" while explaining how the waivers process works:

"The use of waivers, in which the Angels essentially will give away the players for a $50,000 waiver fee and salary relief, stunned the baseball industry. Between now and the expiration of the waiver period Thursday, teams can place claims on players, who, in the meantime, are allowed to play. The team with the worst record Thursday will be awarded the player -- and because he will be on the team's roster before Sept. 1, all claimed players will be eligible for the postseason."

Giolito was one of the hottest names on the trading block midseason, but he struggled mightily during his brief tenure with the Angels, going 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in six starts. He saw far more success with the White Sox in 2023 with a 6-6 mark, 3.79 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 21 starts.

At his best, Giolito has been one of the better starters in the American League. He finished top-11 in the Cy Young voting each season from 2019 to 2021, making the All-Star team in 2019. During that stretch, Giolito went 29-21 with a 3.47 ERA and 11.1 K/9 rate.

Giolito's numbers took a dip in 2022—4.90 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 9.7 K/9 rate—but he can absolutely be a solid starter in the rotation. Cleveland is hoping he can reclaim his pre-Angels form as the regular season quickly draws to a close.

As for López, the 29-year-old has gone 2-7 with a 3.93 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 11.6 K/9 rate this season. He notably fared better with the Angels than White Sox, posting a 2.77 ERA and 13.2 K/9 rate in 13 appearances for L.A.

López is in his eighth big league season. He began his career as a starter but moved to a reliever role full-time in 2022.

Moore, 34, has been in the bigs since 2011. He's worked as a starter for much of his career but moved to a reliever role full time in 2022. That has suited Moore quite well, as he's gone 9-3 with a 2.21 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 rate during the past two years.

Now all three pitchers join the Guardians, who have a 64-70 record but sit just five games back of the first-place Minnesota Twins for first in the AL Central. Cleveland only has a month left to overcome the deficit, but the team clearly hopes these additions will help catapult the franchise back into the playoffs.