Waiver Wire Blues

What in the Hope Memorial Bridge just happened in Cleveland? I had no idea that one team could claim multiple players off of waivers, from the same salary dump, at the same time. But the Guardians did it, snapping up three bargains in Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore. Chaim Bloom isn’t going to be able to sleep for a week.

But then the mass waiver by the Angels was already pretty unprecedented, wasn’t it?

I don’t fault the Guardians one bit for making the bold move. Good for them. If the rules allow it, why not? I guess I was conflating it with a draft-style round robin. I assumed that each eligible team would get one crack at the piñata before the stick was passed to the next. To walk away with three pitchers! Wow. Kind of a mind-blower.

I’ll admit that I was hoping we might welcome back Hunter Renfroe.

It was purely sentimental because I never wanted to see him go. But that would be like getting back together with an ex. I mean, I’m sure it works out for some people, but no one I’ve ever met. And that same trade reunited us with Jackie Bradley, Jr. — look how poorly that went for everyone involved. But even if this completely misty-eyed desire of mine came to pass, of course, we have too many outfielders floating around already. And we want to see what Ceddanne Rafaela can do. After the year we’ve had, we deserve that, at least, dammit.

So Renfroe goes to the Reds. Dominic Leone (New England native) will rejoin the Seattle Mariners, who drafted and developed him out of college. Randal Grichuk is the only one of the bunch who stays put in Los Angeles.

Cleveland can certainly use the pitching help because of all the injuries to their staff this season. As of Thursday, they’re in second place in the AL Central, five games behind the Twins with 28 games left, and a head-to-head series next week.

Here’s some more sentimentalism from me: wouldn’t it be sweet if Terry Francona could get another try at the postseason? Possibly one last try? There have been whispers (that he hasn’t denied) that his health may have finally brought him to the threshold of a well-earned retirement. Now that would really bring a tear to my eye.

I tend to have a lot of loyalty to old friends. Keep a (misty) eye on this one.