At the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Angels made the decision to acquire Shohei Ohtani, an upcoming free agent, by removing him from the market. They are raising the white flag about a month later.
Starter Lucas Giolito, relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk were allegedly placed on waivers by the Angels on Tuesday.
Giolito, Lopez, and Grichuk were all purchases made on deadline.
When Los Angeles made the announcement that it was holding onto Ohtani, risking losing him for nothing, and making a huge splash for Giolito in an attempt to end a postseason drought, the team was 52-49 and 3½ games shy of a wild-card place. As soon as the trade deadline passed, the Angels fell apart.
With a record of 63-69 and a record of 7-18 since deadline day (Aug. 1), the Angels are tied with the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in baseball, meaning that their hopes of making the postseason are all but gone. Shohei Ohtani, who had Tommy John surgery in late 2018, has a torn UCL in his throwing elbow; while he has continued to hit, he will not be able to pitch for the remainder of the season. Additionally, Mike Trout has returned to the injured list following a brief activation.
The Angels’ largest move was most likely the trade for Giolito. For the righty, they shipped Edgar Quero, the 85th-best baseball prospect. Giolito has made six appearances after the trade with a 6.89 ERA (25 earned runs in 32.2 IP).
All five of the dismissed players are eligible to participate in the postseason if they are signed by another team by Thursday.
All it is for the Angels is a salary dump. The remaining balance on the departed players’ contracts for this season will be owed by the teams who sign them. At the end of the season, all five players will be free agents. They are hence off the Angels’ records if they are all taken up.