Many people were wondering where former White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito was going to end up. His value has taken some hits since he left the White Sox, as he struggled on both Los Angeles and Cleveland after being traded from the White Sox last year. This made him a difficult pitcher to evaluate, as before the trade he was having a very solid season, showing signs that he was close to the pitcher he was when he was at his best.
This led to him getting a very interesting contract from his new team, the Boston Red Sox. Per Jeff Passan, the Red Sox have signed Lucas to a two-year 38.5 million dollar contract that allows him to opt out after the first season. This is a great deal for Giolito, as he gets nearly 20 million dollars for essentially one year, and if he plays well he can opt-out and go for a much longer deal that would get him more money.
Many people were hoping for a reunion in Chicago, but that was never going to happen if he was asking for roughly 20 million a year, as the Sox are not giving those types of contracts out right now. Considering the way that Giolito ended the year, I'm surprised he got as much as he did, but that seems to be the market for pitching these days.
Giolito started the year off very well for the White Sox, as he had a 3.79 ERA in 121 innings. While those his best numbers in a Sox uniform, he was pitching very well right before the trade deadline. This allowed the White Sox to flip him and Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels for top catching prospect Edgar Quero and pitching prospect Ky Bush. Immediately after the trade, many wondered if Giolito would make a return to Chicago in the off-season.
But, things did not go as planned for Gio after leaving Chicago. Splitting time between the Angels and the Guardians, Gio pitched to a 6.89 ERA in LA over 32 innings and a 7.04 ERA over 30 innings for Cleveland. That is not the ending to a season that he wanted, especially on the brink of free agency.
This contract allows Giolito to get paid a very solid amount of money while still keeping the opportunity for a big contract in play next off season. The opt-out will let him test the waters if he has a great season, but he can still go back to Boston for a lot of money if he is bad. Boston is betting on a bounce back season from Giolito, as he now finds himself in a rotation with former White Sox ace Chris Sale.
We wish Lucas nothing but the best in Boston, and he got himself a nice contract considering the way his season ended. If Giolito is getting almost 20 million a season, the price for Dylan Cease should keep going up at this rate.
