New York Yankees claim Wade LeBlanc off waivers
By Hayden Kane
The Los Angeles Angels are short on pitching; they are short on left-handed pitching and they are short on relief pitching. They aren’t exactly deep on the starting pitching side of things either.
Normally the loss of left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc, a fringe starter with a 5.68 ERA this season, would not hurt very much. But in the case of the Angels, they were hoping LeBlanc would clear waivers so that they could send him to Triple-A to stretch him out as a starter.
The New York Yankees foiled those plans by claiming LeBlanc. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times:
#Angels were hopeful, if not confident, LHP Wade LeBlanc, DFA'd Sat, would clear waivers. He did not. #Yankees claimed him.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) June 3, 2014
Losing LHP Wade LeBlanc to #Yankees waiver claim saps #Angels of much-needed starting pitching depth. Expect GM to find more real soon.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) June 3, 2014
In order to make room for LeBlanc, the Yankees moved Michael Pineda to the 60-day disabled list.
This seems to increase the chances that the Angels will look to make a trade, whether to bolster their rotation or their bullpen (as we heard they might earlier this week). The Yankees likely view LeBlanc as a guy who adds depth in the same way the Angels did.
The Angels appear to be in a fickle situation with their pitching staff. To date the guys in place have done well enough to position the Angels as one of the better teams in baseball, even with inexplicable inconsistency from Mike Trout and the looming presence of the Oakland Athletics in their same division.
The Angels’ front office is wise, however, to recognize the likelihood that they will need more help on the mound to last as contenders. Wade LeBlanc certainly wasn’t the answer, but it doesn’t help to lose him either.