The Los Angeles Angels have led the big leagues in a lot of logic-defying choices over the past 15 years, from the Josh Hamilton signing before the 2013 season to their decision to cling to Shohei Ohtani last summer, at a time that he could have gleaned a future-shifting haul of prospects. But their strategy of dumping a bunch of veterans onto the waiver wire this week is viewed by rival executives as smart business -- and it's feeding into a trend that might fuel conversation about another significant rule change.
One rival official lauded the thought behind the possible waiver dumps. "They went for it, but they're out of [playoff] contention now and they're trying to put themselves in a better financial position moving forward," the executive said. "If they know they're not going to keep these players into the winter, and not going to give them a qualifying offer in free agency, it makes sense to try to reduce costs."