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The Cleveland Guardians just got an absolute haul off the waiver wire.
Cleveland has taken full advantage of the Los Angeles Angels' firesale this week, as the Guardians acquired Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Matt Moore to bolster their pitching staff.
It might seem strange on the surface, seeing as the Guardians will need a near-perfect September to snatch a wild-card playoff berth and Cleveland's offense is among the worst in the American League. But the opportunity to reinforce the starting rotation and the bullpen proved too good to pass up for general manager Mike Chernoff.
Pair of pitchers switch teams together...for the third time!
Perhaps the most curious element of this triple-waiver claim is it means Giolito and Lopez will be changing teams again. But more than that, it's the third time this has happened to the pair in their MLB careers.
Giolito, a 2019 All-Star with the division rival Chicago White Sox, received American League Cy Young Award votes each year between 2019 and 2021. The right-hander is hoping to return to form in Cleveland, which has been without star pitcher Shane Bieber since July due to an elbow injury.
Lopez, who has a 3.93 ERA in 56 relief appearances this season, slots into a Guardians bullpen that includes elite closer Emmanuel Clase and shutdown late-inning options like Enyel De Los Santos and Trevor Stephan.
Cleveland also picks up Moore
The Guardians weren't done beefing up their bullpen even after adding Giolito and Lopez. Cleveland also acquired lefty specialist Matt Moore, who has a 2.66 ERA and 49 strikeouts across 44 innings pitched for the Angels this season.
All these moves are typically hallmarks of a team loading up for a World Series run, but Cleveland, at 64-70, faces a five-game deficit in the American League Central division entering September. Catching the Minnesota Twins atop the division is the Guardians' only realistic pathway to the MLB postseason -- but if it doesn't work, the club will at least have acquired these pitchers for free, and could even work to extend their stays in Cleveland over the winter.