The Cleveland Guardians are 64-70 as of Thursday afternoon.
That’s the same record that the Los Angeles Angels boast.
However, they are in entirely different places and with vastly differing approaches.
The Angels recently waived a series of useful players because they are 12.5 games out of first place and equally far in the Wild Card race, so they figured they could save some money if they placed a group of expensive players on waivers.
The Guardians, with the same record, are just five games out of first place in the AL Central.
To the contrary of what happens to the Angels, they do have a chance at overtaking the Twins and making the playoffs.
That’s why they decided to go for it and add a series of contributors via waivers.
“Per Fangraphs, the Guardians — five games out in the AL Central — have a 5.5% chance of reaching the postseason. They have added Giolito, Moore, Lopez via waiver claims, and blocked MIN. The CLE front office is running out the groundball; Cleveland is doing what it can to win,” MLB insider Buster Olney tweeted.
Per Fangraphs, the Guardians — five games out in the AL Central — have a 5.5% chance of reaching the postseason. They have added Giolito, Moore, Lopez via waiver claims, and blocked MIN. The CLE front office is running out the groundball; Cleveland is doing what it can to win.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 31, 2023
Cleveland shored up its rotation with Lucas Giolito and fortified their relief corps with Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore.
These additions could prove crucial in the race for first in the AL Central.
Everybody knows pitching has a sizable impact in the success of a team.
Even if Cleveland falls short, they can at least say they took advantage of an unexpected opportunity and increased their September payroll to have more chances of getting that postseason spot.
NEXT: The Guardians Made A Series Of Notable Additions Thursday
