Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Could Add Meaningful Talent From Angels' Unprecedented Firesale

Boston should file a few waiver claims in hopes of adding talent
Scott Neville|
Red Sox Could Add Meaningful Talent From Angels' Unprecedented Firesale
Red Sox Could Add Meaningful Talent From Angels' Unprecedented Firesale

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox fell to 6.5 games back in the American League Wild Card race and are approaching a point of no return.

It would take an incredible run to get back into the thick of the postseason race, which they do not have in them with their current group of pitchers.

However, the Los Angeles Angels just turned the postseason chase on its head due to their historically bad dysfunction -- something that could only aid Boston.

Despite its record, Los Angeles was loaded with talent and just placed a slew of high-end players on waivers just to save a few million dollars.

"The Los Angeles Angels have placed starter Lucas Giolito, relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers," ESPN's Jeff Passan reported. "Huge potential playoff implications: All can be claimed by teams for free on Thursday."

The Red Sox have the No. 17 waiver claim spot and the majority of the teams in front of Boston are way out of the playoff picture. 

Giolito has been a hot mess in six starts for the Angels but was an impactful player for the Chicago White Sox. He had a 3.79 ERA with a 131-to-42 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .232 batting average against and 1.22 WHIP in 121 innings for the ChiSox to open the season.

The 29-year-old will be the most-coveted player on the list and would provide a notable upgrade to the rotation should he sneak through to Boston.

Moore (2.30 ERA in 43 innings) and López (3.86 ERA in 53 2/3 innings) could be difference-makers as well, both hurlers would be drastic improvements over the bottom of the bullpen.

Moore is a southpaw I pleaded for over and over again heading into the season and he's continued to be one of the most reliable high-leverage relievers around after a strong 2022 campaign. Boston could use a reliable left-handed reliever with Brennan Bernardino out for the time being. 

López would be better than the players you see getting shuffled on and off of the active roster on a regular basis.

With outfielder Jarren Duran out for the season, it would also make sense to check in on a former friend, Renfroe or a fellow veteran in Grickuk but it might be time to let the young kids play: Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela. 

If the Red Sox are serious about contending, they'll try to scoop up as many of these guys as possible, and should land at least one. At the very least, it would allow a quality player to get comfortable in Boston heading into free agency -- giving the Red Sox a head start on an extension. 

More MLB: Rising Red Sox Star Reportedly Will Miss Rest Of Season Due To Unfortunate Injury

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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