Grading The Lucas Giolito And Reynaldo López Trade Nine Months Later
The White Sox made headlines by being one of the biggest sellers at last year’s trade deadline. One of the most significant trades they made was on July 26th, when they traded long-time pitching staff stalwarts Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for catching prospect Edgar Quero and left-handed pitching prospect Ky Bush. Given that nine months have passed since the trade, we can now take a fresh look at the deal and how it has aged for both teams.
Trade From The Angels Perspective
At the time of the trade, the Angels were 52-49 and just seven games behind the Rangers for first place in the AL West. Superstar Shohei Ohtani was in the midst of another great season and in the final year of his contract. Unsure if Ohtani would stay with the team beyond the season, the Angels went all-in while he was still there. They acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from the Rockies to bolster their lineup and Giolito and López to improve their pitching staff.
Unfortunately, the trades did not go as hoped for the Angels. Giolito made just six starts for them, pitching to a 6.89 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. López fared better, pitching to a 2.77 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 13 appearances. However, the Angels fell to 63-70 and 12.5 games out of first place before placing Giolito and López on waivers on August 29th. Both pitchers spent just over a month on the Angels roster before being claimed by the Guardians, and Ohtani left for the Dodgers after the season. It was a nightmare trade for the Angels, and there is no way to justify that it helped them long term.
Trade From The White Sox Perspective
From the White Sox perspective, the trade is aging much differently. At the time of the trade, the White Sox were 41-62 and already 12.5 games out of first place. At that point, the team waived the white flag. They shipped off veteran players to acquire young talent, and no trade they made then has aged better than the deal with the Angels.
Monster 2024 Seasons For Quero and Bush
The second and third-best prospects in the Angels farm system at the time, Quero and Bush have continued their upward trajectory since the trade. The 21-year-old Quero is hitting .281 with five home runs, a .368 on-base percentage, a .547 slugging percentage, and a .915 OPS in 19 games at the AA level this season. He ranks near the top of the Southern League in several offensive categories. He is off to a scorching hot start and looks to be the White Sox catcher of the future.
The second piece in the trade, Bush struggled in AA with the White Sox organization last season but looks like a completely different pitcher now. The 24-year-old left-hander has a 1.27 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9 in 21.1 innings over four starts this season. Walks are still an issue, but Bush is pitching significantly better and could be headed to AAA sooner rather than later. While he is not one of the elite pitching prospects in the White Sox system, his progress is still noteworthy. Bush could eventually make his way onto the pitching staff at the MLB level as early as this season.
Final Word
The Giolito and López for Quero and Bush trade looks like an absolute grand slam for the White Sox. They managed to get their potential catcher of the future and a long-term rotation arm for two rental pitchers. Despite Rick Hahn’s shortcomings, he deserves credit for taking advantage of a desperate Angels team at the time and getting two potential building blocks in return.