Lucas Giolito hopes to remain with the White Sox amid enigmatic season
On NBC Sports Chicago's White Sox Talk podcast, hosted by Chuck Garfien, Lucas Giolito joined Garfien to talk about this season, and more importantly, his murky future with the White Sox.
As the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline nears closer and closer, some suspect the White Sox to become sellers, seeing as they are struggling to climb the AL Central ladder in hopes of a default playoff berth. In the event of a selloff, the first players -- likely -- to go first would be those on expiring contracts.
Giolito fits the mold, especially since he's having a tremendous comeback season. But, from Giolito's perspective, he wants to stay in Chicago.
"Everyone knows this is my potential last year with the White Sox," Giolito said. "I feel like I owe so much to this organization. I've done a lot for this organization as well. And I just want to see us come together and have a good run here.
"I'd love to stay. I want to be here, man. I love Chicago. I love the Sox. I want us to put it together, man. I really do."
Giolito is having a brilliant season on the mound. In 15 starts this season, he holds a 3.54 ERA. He has 89 strikeouts on top of 28 walks. His stuff has been terrific this season -- and refreshing -- after watching him drastically underperform last season.
Over this past offseason, Giolito reduced the weight he packed before the 2022 season, then in hopes of driving more force on the mound. He returned to his normal weight this season and fixed his mechanics in reciprocation. And it's only helped him become the same Giolito the Sox once knew him.
This season marks the final of his rounds in arbitration, earning $10.4 million on the bump. He'll enter free agency this upcoming offseason, and whether or not the Sox wish to keep him remains to be seen. He makes an excellent trade piece for the team; equally, he's a reliable starter with possibly his best days in front of him.
It would take a comeback in the division for the front office to find the rationale to return their core. What's caused the White Sox to slump into a losing season this year?
"Bad baseball. That's it," Giolito said. "We all get along. We're a close-knit group. We have fun together. We're just not playing good baseball. Gotta play good baseball to win in this league."
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