Alfonso Rivas claimed on waivers by Angels

Alfonso Rivas' time with the Cleveland Guardians organization has officially come to an end. Just a few days after being designated for assignment by Cleveland, Rivas has been claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Angels. Rivas initially came to the Guardians via waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Guardians decided that they would designate Rivas following their free agency agreement with veteran backstop Austin Hedges. Cleveland's one-year deal to bring Hedges back to Cleveland made Rivas the odd man out, a decision that is truly hard to argue with.

The decision to claim Rivas from Pittsburgh was always a puzzling one from the beginning. Rivas does not possess a ton of power, and that is before acknowledging his primary position of first base is occupied by Josh Naylor in the majors, with prospect Kyle Manzardo looking to break in next season. At best, Rivas would be an excuse to keep Manzardo's service time clock from starting for just a bit longer. While this could lead to Cleveland retaining an extra year of control, there is a possibility that Manzardo could finish in the Top 3 for American League Rookie of the Year in 2024, making this entire process all for naught.

While the decision to briefly take a chance on Rivas was a wise one, he was always going to be among the group first to go should someone else be brought in. When it comes to the section of players that Rivas resides in, it is always a smart decision to churn that group. These players are usually on the roster bubble more often than not, and they are somewhat accustomed to going through the DFA and waiver claim process.

Rivas has a .243/.324/.349 career slash line with 16 doubles, seven home runs, and 43 runs driven in over 167 games in three major league seasons with three different ballclubs.