MLB concessions explained: How the Angels’ payroll dump could change the pennant race

At first the Angels went for it on deadline. Then it collapsed in epic fashion. Now they may have the final say in baseball pennant races.

The Angels put nearly a fifth of their roster on waivers on Tuesday, according to the athleteKen RosentaFor, base exploitation — and a roster management tactic — that was relevant back before baseball was consolidated into a single trade deadline. Headliners include starter Lucas Giolito, relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo Lopez, and outfielders Hunter Renfro and Randall Grischuk.

“You feel like there are occasional people making money from (the exemptions) but not a huge (salary) dump like this,” an AL executive said Tuesday night. “I think it takes a crazy set of circumstances for this to happen. And the angels are over the top in terms of crazy.”

Other players granted waivers, according to Rosenthal, include Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader, Mets outfielder Carlos Carrasco and White Sox outfielder Mike Clevinger. But the Angels’ gambit—unexpected in its breadth and scale—provided plenty of intrigue as baseball contenders contemplated whether to capture the large influx of players on waivers.

Any players claimed on waivers will be awarded to their new team on Thursday. Here’s a primer on what could happen.

How do waivers work?

The system is simple. When a player is granted express waivers, all 30 teams have an opportunity to claim him. Assignment priority runs in reverse order of record; Relationships broke a record last year. The team with the worst record that makes a claim will receive the player, add him to their 40-player roster, and pay the remainder of his contract. If the player is not claimed, his home team continues to pay him his wages.

The implications in this case are widespread. Consider this: Before Tuesday’s games, there were 16 teams over . 500 weighed and within 2 1/2 games of the playoff spot, and another (Red Sox 69-63) out 5 1/2 games out. That means the majority of the league is licking their chops to add one or more impact players who got off waivers on Tuesday — and all it will cost them is money.

But it’s also going to take some good luck, because they need this player to fall into their hands. Keep in mind: records are not unlocked. The waiver order is still in flux. It will be determined based on records during Wednesday’s games. As of Tuesday afternoon, the waiver order was issued [deep breath] Athletics, Royals, Rockies, White Sox, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Tigers, Mets, Nationals, Padres, Guardians, Angels, Yankees, Marlins, Reds, Giants, Diamondbacks, Twins, Red Sox, Cubs, Blue Jays, Phillies, Astros Rangers, Brewers, Mariners, Rays, Dodgers, Orioles and Braves.

So you say sailors shot themselves in the foot with this hotline?

I did not say that. you did.

Why is this happening now?

To be eligible for the postseason, a player must be on the roster by September 1st. The waiver window is open for two days. This means that players will be awarded to the claiming team on August 31st. You see how these puzzle pieces fit together, right?

OK, but didn’t they get rid of that system?

system, but not this system.

The old commercial waiver system was abolished in 2019, and it was stipulated that the waiver order be determined by registry And League affiliation. Prior to this, teams would dump almost everyone on their rosters onto revocable waivers, meaning they could be drawn without losing them. Teams used this tactic to mask players they actually wanted to trade, letting them know if they could strike a deal on the other side. So John Smoltz went to Atlanta, Jeff Bagwell went to Houston, Larry Walker went to Colorado, Bert Blelevin went to Minnesota, Justin Verlander went to Houston (the first time) all in August. Until August 31, teams can trade players on waivers and make them eligible for postseason play, effectively creating two trading deadlines.

In MLB after 2019, revocable waivers no longer exist and there is only one trade deadline. Assignment order is also strictly determined by register. Although players can still be called on waivers after the trade deadline, they can no longer be traded on waivers. Their original team will only receive a salary waiver, not leads or bonus money.

There must be a catch, right?

No hunting. What you see is real. There is a group of players clearing waivers right now who were coveted business targets just a month ago. Now they can play for your favorite team (unless they’re the Angels) for as low as whatever it cost to hire them for a month. There are no possibilities to give it away. Only cash. It’s a really good deal for the team, if you can get one of these guys.

What exactly are the angels thinking?

They are thinking of cutting their losses. The Angels have been the worst team in baseball since the trade deadline, going 7-17, and despite not being mathematically eliminated, Fangraphs’ playoff odds are 0 percent. They are toast, and pushing a large portion of their roster into concessions can save some money while waving the proverbial white flag.

They think about taxes, and specifically about avoiding them. When the Angels did their best in the last week of July, it pushed their team payroll into Level 1 Competitive Balance Tax (CBT). Eliminating some payroll would bring them below the $233 million cash transfer threshold and avoid any taxes, penalties and associated anger from smaller payers.

And they’re considering pitting themselves against the inevitability of Shuhei Ohtani making it to free agency. If Ohtani declines the Angels’ qualifying offer this fall — which he will do — and they’re above the first CBT threshold, their choice of compensation will come after round four. However, if they fall below the threshold, the compensation selection will come after the second Comp Round, after the second round. This is no small matter. In this year’s draft, there were between 60 and 70 picks in the two draft positions.

So, despite how much grief the Angels will feel over this desperate dump of condescension, there are strategic decisions to be made. They were overshadowed by the sad state of the club.

Where could Julito end up?

with whoever wants it. The Angels acquired Giolito before deadline – along with the aforementioned López – in exchange for top prospects Edgar Quero and Lefty Ky Bush. He’s posted a 6.89 ERA in six starts with the Angels, so the recent record is spotty, but there’s sure to be a team that will buy his total workload.

The Twins, in particular, could use the promotion and would be well placed in the concession order compared to the other contenders. It could be a second chance for the Reds, without Nick Ludolo, to make a move to add a veteran to their young starting staff. The Diamondbacks are getting a second crack at it, too. The Giants, after weeks of games and openings, are another team that could use a rotation boost, although they do have an odd roster crunch with a parade of injured players returning. The Red Sox could play Giolito, if they think they’re still in the wild card hunt. Sure, the Orioles could use the deadline too, but will Giolito still be available when it’s their turn (currently second-to-last)?

And what about other players?

As a general rule, competitors are always looking for another home. Left-hander Matt Moore seems like a perfect fit for the Astros, while reliever Reynaldo Lopez can fit anywhere — even if it means goodbye to longtime teammate Giolito. The Rangers need help, even though their forfeit order is down. Randall Grischuk has history in Toronto, and the shortstop Blue Jays are in desperate need of offense.

The whole exercise feels like a game on The Price is Right. (Peace be upon you, Bob Barker.)

“Do you want Matt Moore or do you want to succeed? You have 10 seconds“.

Who are the contenders best able to add real talent?

This really is a great opportunity for the top six contenders in the current assignment standings, which, once you eliminate the sub-.500 teams, goes: Marlins, Reds, Giants, Diamondbacks, Twins, Red Sox. There is suddenly an abundance of guns on concessions, at cheap prices, and these teams are first in line (unless the non-contender is playing spoiler) to grab them.

Another team we didn’t mention: the Cubs, who are in the midst of a wild card race in the NL and should be in decent shape in the assignment standings.

What teams can be chaos factors?

There is a long history of teams higher in the concession standings (and lower in the standings) doing everything they can to block the opposition. Yankees Jose Canseco arrested with no reason. The Giants claimed Cody Ross to spite the Padres. The Padres banned the Braves for Randy Myers, but it backfired when the Blue Jays continued the claim and San Diego stopped paying $13 million for an injured reliever.

There’s no limit to the number of claims a team can file, so, in theory, the Athletics could use waiver priority #1 to claim a quarter of the Angels’ roster over waivers, as long as they find the roster space to fit all of them. This is clearly an exaggeration. Why would you need more when you have Zach Geloff? But it does show that the door is open to chaos~.

“I think teams are definitely going to demand players they don’t necessarily want in order for other teams not to have them,” said the AL executive director. Claim them all and find out later. “The chaos is due to the current concession order and the appetite and creativity of individual teams,” he added.

I wonder where we can find such a hungry and creative team right now. Oh no, that’s the music of AJ Briller. The Padres walk the line between cooked and competitive if you stare too hard. They’ve all been in, but there are eight games under .500 and seven out of the wild card range. Giolito could replace Rich Hill or Pedro Avila. Bader can start at center. Bullpen could use restocking. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if this was the moment the Padres had been waiting for, and preparing for, all this time.

Now that they’ve kicked Noah Syndergaard off the roster, The Guardians might not mind taking up another arm to take up the roles in September. The Yankees have a chance to snag the four teams ahead of them in the division, but it would be surprising to see them fuel waivers and pull off them at the same time.

The real chaos can come from watching the scoreboard. The waiver order won’t be locked until after Wednesday’s matches, which means there’s still time for some movement up and down the rank. Did you just hear Wrigley’s “Tank to Giulito” chant? However, with a bunch of concessions claiming this to be interesting, 48 hours might be pretty silly.

— the athlete Mark Caregg and Evan Drilich contributed to this report.

(Top photo of Lucas Giolito making his Angels debut: Cole Burston/Getty Images)