MLB officials will wait at least another year before considering implementing rules that would prevent teams from placing players on waivers at the end of the season.
Major League Baseball officials have decided to wait at least another year before considering implementing rules that would prevent teams from placing players on waivers at the end of the season, as the Los Angeles Angels did last August, sources said. from the industry to ESPN on Monday.
Right-hander Lucas Giolito was one of the players the Angels placed on waivers at the end of the season. AP
The Angels had made aggressive deals before the trade deadline, trading Lucas Giolito and other players in an attempt to show Shohei Ohtani that they were trying to win. But the Angels completely collapsed, losing their first seven games in August and 16 of 21 through August 23, falling out of postseason contention.
Then the Angels changed again, placing several players on waivers, most notably Giolito, in an effort to reduce salaries and stay below the luxury tax threshold. In the end, the Angels managed to do it, apparently, with around $30,000, an amount that has not yet been finalized; the MLB Players Association still needs to approve MLB’s numbers. If the Angels avoided the luxury tax, they will avoid several penalties.
While baseball executives at other teams understood the strategy (and some agreed with the Angels’ decision to shed as many salary commitments as possible), there was some concern within the industry about this becoming a regular late-season practice for teams out of the playoffs, with a flurry of players released, sources told ESPN.
Editorial Selections
The issue was discussed at general manager meetings in November, sources told ESPNand it was decided then that more data, at least another season of evidence, was needed to determine if the salary drop achieved by the Angels was a precedent for other teams to do the same, or if the Angels’ waiver options in 2023 They were a unique event.
If there is another wave of players placed on waivers due to financial issues next season, regulations to curb that type of behavior may be discussed next winter.
2023-12-05 00:41:19
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