Guardians forcing Rangers into roster submission could lead to unique upgrades

In 2023, the Cleveland Guardians were the kings of the August waiver wire. After selling at the trade deadline, the Guardians went on a mini-run that pushed them back into the playoff picture and led to the team’s front office taking a $3.7 million gamble on Angels pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Matt Moore.

They could have a chance to reclaim that crown this year.

While the Guardians have scuffled a bit lately, they’ve worked their way back into the postseason picture thanks to a strong August that came after they traded away two pieces from their MLB roster at the trade deadline. 

And, with the August waiver wire approaching, the Guardians are in a great opportunity to add some major league talent to their roster. And they’ll get a first-hand look at some of the talent who could potentially be available this week when they take on the Texas Rangers. 

Guardians forcing Rangers into roster submission could lead to unique upgrades

Earlier this year it looked like the Guardians’ three-game set against the Rangers would be one of the biggest series of the year since both teams were in the midst of the Wild Card race. That’s no longer the case, as the Rangers currently sit at 63-65 and are 5 1/2 games out of the Wild Card race thanks to a 6-12 August.

A series loss to the Guardians would essentially end Texas' season, which could lead to them putting some of the veteran players on their roster on waivers ahead of the final month of the season.

That idea was highlighted earlier this week in an article from MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco, who wrote a story highlighting some players who could potentially be placed on waivers before the end of the month. And, unsurprisingly, he listed eight Rangers: Merrill Kelly, Phil Maton, Danny Coulombe, Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, Tyler Mahle, Adolis García and Jonah Heim.

The biggest name of that list is Kelly, who they traded for at the deadline in exchange for three pitching prospects. They also acquired Coulombe and Maton at the deadline. All three are set to be free agents after the season. 

While no team would like to admit they’re punting on the season by sending away so many players in August, there is a financial aspect to consider. The Angels’ aforementioned offload in 2023 allowed them to slip below the luxury tax, and the Rangers are currently sitting right around the tax threshold line. 

They made their first attempt at trying to clear some money off their books earlier this month when they put pitcher Jon Gray on waivers, but he went unclaimed and was placed on the injured list with thoracic outlet syndrome. 

Of the players Franco listed, Maton and Coulombe stand out as no-brainer signings for the Guardians. Maton (who pitched in Cleveland for parts of three seasons) has a 3.09 ERA on the year, while Coulombe has a 1.93 ERA. Their salaries would combine for about $750,000 for the rest of the year, though that could rise based on Coulombe's incentive bonuses.

Kelly also stands out as an option given his strong track record, but the Guardians don’t really have a hole in their starting rotation thanks to the emergence of rookie Parker Messick. 

Players need to be added to a team’s roster before Sept. 1 to be eligible for the postseason, so any waiver moves will likely happen over the next week. 

While García would have made sense for the Guardians to sign earlier in the year, he’s still owed $1.4 million for the rest of the year and his production has fallen off a cliff.

Although the Guardians haven’t gotten much production from their right fielders this year, García is hitting just .224 this year with a .266 on-base percentage. He’s not the fix. 

It’s also worth noting the Guardians would get a chance to claim any waived players before the teams they’re chasing in the postseason since the claims go in order by record. The Guardians have the worst record among teams above .500, so they’d be the first true contender to get a shot at claiming anyone.

While the 58-69 Atlanta Braves claimed Cal Quantrill on waivers yesterday, that seems like a move that was made to add some pitching reinforcements to their depleted rotation. It’s hard to believe a team under .500 would put in a claim on an impending free agent reliever. 

All this doesn’t guarantee success, however. In ‘23, the Guardians went 12-15 in September and ended up placing Moore on waivers halfway through the month. 

While Guardians need to win their series against the Rangers if they want to stay in the postseason hunt, a series win could also give them a chance to add some reinforcements to their roster for the stretch run.