ESPN’s Jesse Rogers published his annual MLB executives and insiders survey, giving us a look at what people within the game think will happen in the offseason. Obviously the big focus is on where and for how much money Aaron Judge will sign and how things shake up with the four big free agent shortstops. Yet, there was also a question about who will be the most notable player to get traded and there was one White Sox player who made the list.
You have the usual suspects such as Sean Murphy and Pablo Lopez, each getting three votes out of the 12 people who answered the survey, and then two votes went to Lucas Giolito.
You can read the entire article here.
There’s no secret that things were a tad bit awkward between the White Sox and Giolito last offseason, when they couldn’t come to an agreement on his 2022 salary over $50,000.
Things were eventually smoothed over as the White Sox and Giolito avoided an arbitration hearing and agreed to a $7.45 million salary. Unfortunately, Giolito had his worst season since 2018, which was his first full year in the majors. Now, entering his final year under team control, Giolito is projected to earn $10.8 million. That’s a hefty number for a starting pitcher that just had a 4.90 ERA in 161.1 innings.
So, maybe the initial disagreement last offseason wasn’t as serious as first thought, but then you also realize that Giolito has already reportedly declined a contract extension from the White Sox. According to James Fegan of The Athletic, the White Sox offered Giolito a four-year, $50 million contract extension before the start of the 2021 season. So, not great there, but Fegan added that not only did Giolito’s camp decline the offer, there was no counter made by his side because according to Fegan, “it was not viewed as being suitable enough to drive further discussion.”
Ouch.
So, as we stand here on Dec. 1, 2022, the feeling around the league is that Giolito won’t be with the White Sox after the 2023 season. At the start of the offseason, Jon Heyman was on MLB Network and he specifically named Giolito as one player he believes teams are asking about in trade talks. (55 seconds in)
The White Sox just made their first major move of the offseason, reportedly signing right-handed pitcher Mike Clevinger. Contract details aren’t clear yet, as Jon Morosi first said Clevinger will make at least $8 million in 2023, and then Jim Bowden reported the pitcher will earn $12 million with the White Sox. Maybe, that second figure includes buyout money that comes with an option for 2024? That’s my guess anyway.
With the addition of Clevinger, the White Sox have their starting rotation set, with Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Giolito. They also have Davis Martin, who proved to be a capable spot starter in 2022. However, there’s not a lot of depth behind that for Chicago, plus Kopech and Clevinger dealt with injuries last season. So, it’s not like the White Sox can easily replace Giolito unless they get a starter in return in a trade or sign another one. I mean, right now they should probably sign another starting pitcher. Doesn’t have to be a huge splash, but you can never have enough pitching.
It’s not impossible to work out a deal that makes sense for the White Sox that includes Giolito, but talk about selling low for the White Sox. We discussed what a trade could look like on this week’s Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.
Do you think Giolito can return to his 2019-21 form, or should the White Sox try to find a trade partner for him? Let us know in the comments!