The Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball 바카라 (MLB) have acquired right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, 29, right-handed reliever Reynaldo Lopez, 29, and left-handed pitcher Matt Moore, 34. They were placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Angels the day before our time (the 30th), and Cleveland claimed them.
This means their remaining $3.5 million salary for this season will be paid by Cleveland. The Angels, who were over the luxury tax threshold by $2.26 million, also avoided the luxury tax. The Angels also accomplished what they set out to do.
Cleveland is currently in second place in the American League (AL) Central with 64 wins and 70 losses. They’re five games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins (69 wins and 65 losses).
The wild card race is tough, as they are 11.5 games out of the third wild card spot, but first place in the AL Central is within reach. They’ve bolstered one starter and two bullpen arms to make a final push.
Giolito and Lopez are noteworthy because they’ve played for the same team for a whopping 12 years, this time in Cleveland uniforms.
Their first team was the Washington Nationals. Giolito was selected in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft (16th overall), and Lopez joined Washington via international signing in 2012.
They made their major league debuts side-by-side and were traded together to the Chicago White Sox in December 2016. Washington, then the reigning National League (NL) East champions, received outfielder Adam Eaton, who was also with the White Sox, in exchange for “Winnow.
And both players have blossomed with the White Sox. Giolito has pitched 929 innings in seven years with the White Sox, going 59-52 with a 4.20 ERA and 993 strikeouts. In 2019, he was named his first All-Star and finished sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. Lopez also spent seven years splitting time between the starting rotation and the bullpen, compiling a 33-44 record, 19 shutouts, four saves, and a 4.38 ERA in 611.2 innings.
The White Sox even made the postseason two years in a row in 2020 and 2021 on the back of their performance.
However, after giving up on this year’s performance, the White Sox traded them to the Angels in a “fire sale” on March 27. They gave up a half-year head start on free agency after this season in exchange for prospects.
But this time, they were claimed by Cleveland together, making them a bizarre “community of destiny,” playing together for four teams in 12 years.
Cleveland general manager Chris Antonetti welcomed their arrival, saying, “It’s not often you get the opportunity to improve a team, and it’s even rarer to get good players without a trade.”
After 12 years as the “original team,” all eyes will be on Giolito and Lopez to see how they fare in what will likely be their final season together.