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MLB Rumors: Teams that missed out on Lucas Giolito, Harrison Bader, and more

On Thursday, the MLB playoff picture was shaken up as the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds claimed five veteran players off waivers.

By Robert Murray

New York Yankees v Miami Marlins
New York Yankees v Miami Marlins / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
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Reynaldo Lopez
Los Angeles Angels v Philadelphia Phillies / Tim Nwachukwu/GettyImages

Reynaldo Lopez: Minnesota Twins

Word is, the Minnesota Twins were actively looking at the waiver market for potential bullpen reinforcements. And Lopez would have made a ton of sense for them.

Instead, the Twins will continue with a plan that relies on injured pitchers recovering and pitching again in 2023. It also includes converting starting pitchers with power arms into unique roles, as Dan Hayes of The Athletic noted, and that’s a giant risk. Especially for a team leading its division and hoping to advance in the postseason.

Which is why adding Lopez or Moore would have been ideal for Minnesota. To make matters even worse is that both pitchers went to the Cleveland Guardians, who are only five games back of the Twins in the American League Central.

It places increased pressure on the Twins. With the Guardians now clearly gunning for a postseason spot, they got better. A lot better. And it’s going to require the Twins to play near perfect baseball to prevent being caught by Cleveland.

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