Report: Angels put Giolito, Renfroe, Grichuk, Moore, López on waivers

The Los Angeles Angels placed right-hander Lucas Giolito, relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Reliever Dominic Leone was also placed on waivers, according to Dan Gelston of The Associated Press.

All six impending free agents can be claimed Thursday. The team with the worst record that submits a claim for the player will receive him. There's also no priority based on the league of the club waiving the player.

"I'd say, surprised," Giolito said Tuesday after informing reporters that he found out about the news on social media. "But at the end of the day, it's a business. It can be a very strange business sometimes. You just roll with it."

The Angels are projected to save around $7 million for the rest of the season if all the players are claimed.

The Angels acquired Giolito, Grichuk, and López at the trade deadline for a playoff push that never materialized. Los Angeles gave up its No. 2, No. 3, and No. 8 prospects in the deals.

Giolito, a former All-Star, posted a 1-5 record with a 6.89 ERA and 1.47 WHIP over six starts after leaving the Chicago White Sox. Meanwhile, Grichuk went deep three times with a .470 OPS across 26 games with Los Angeles. The 32-year-old recorded 11 homers with an .861 OPS over 64 contests with the Colorado Rockies prior to the trade.

Meanwhile, López has authored a 3.86 ERA with 71 strikeouts over 53 2/3 innings between the Angels and White Sox in 2023.

Renfroe is an intriguing power bat, while Moore is a quality left-handed option coming out of the bullpen. The former has collected five different campaigns with 26-plus homers over his eight-year career, while the latter owns a 2.30 ERA with 9.8 K/9 over 40 appearances this year.

Entering Tuesday's action, the Angels sit 12.5 games behind the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners and 11.5 contests out of the AL's final wild-card spot.

Los Angeles has also seen AL MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani sustain a UCL injury that'll prevent him from pitching for the rest of the season. Superstar outfielder Mike Trout also went back on the injured list with a hand issue after breaking it earlier in the year.