MLB Rumors: Red Sox Did 'Internal Digging' on Angels' Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López

The Boston Red Sox have reportedly looked into the possibility of claiming a pair of pitchers waived by the Los Angeles Angels this week.

According to Chad Jennings of The Athletic, the Red Sox have done some "internal digging" on starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo López, although it isn't yet known if they have placed a waiver claim or intend to do so.

Giolito and López were two of the six players the Angels waived Tuesday along with outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk, and pitchers Matt Moore and Dominic Leone, in an attempt to cut costs.

The Angels had designs on making a playoff run, which is why they also opted against dealing Shohei Ohtani at the trade deadline, but they have struggled since then and currently sit at 64-70, putting them 11.5 games out of a wild-card spot.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox have performed above expectations this season, and at 69-65, they trail the Texas Rangers by 6.5 games for the final wild-card spot in the American League.

Boston still faces an uphill climb with only about a month remaining in the regular season, but they are perhaps close enough to being a playoff team that it would make sense to go for it down the stretch.

The Angels acquired both Giolito and López from the Chicago White Sox in July, and the players have been at opposite ends of the spectrum since the deal.

Giolito, 29, is 1-5 in six starts with the Angels, posting a 6.89 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, while striking out 34 batters in 32.2 innings.

Overall, Giolito has gone 7-11 this season with a 4.45 ERA, which leaves plenty to be desired, although it is an improvement over the 4.90 ERA he posted in 2022.

From 2019 to 2021, Giolito had an ERA of between 3.41 and 3.53 each season, received Cy Young votes in each of those campaigns and earned one All-Star appearance.

The 29-year-old López is 0-2 with a 2.77 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 19 strikeouts over 13 innings in 13 appearances for the Angels this season.

When accounting for his time with the White Sox, he has gone 2-7 overall with a 3.93 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 55 innings.

López was primarily a starting pitcher for the first five years of his MLB career with the Washington Nationals and White Sox, but due to mostly negative results, he transitioned to the bullpen 2021 and has been better, albeit inconsistent.

Pitching has undoubtedly been Boston's biggest issue this season, as it is 19th in team ERA at 4.48 and has yielded the sixth-most home runs at 176, so it stands to reason that Giolito and López could both provide a boost.

Both pitchers would be rentals since their contracts expire at the end of the 2023 season, so the Red Sox wouldn't have to make a long-term commitment either.

Boston likely needs to be one of the best teams in baseball down the stretch to truly have a shot at the playoffs, though, and it is unclear if the front office is willing to bank on that being the case.