Rick Hahn is putting in work right before the season. Just minutes after news broke the team had traded for AJ Pollock, the team announced that Lucas Giolito had agreed to a one-year contract worth $7.45 million for the 2022 season. The contract allowed the White Sox to avoid arbitration with the right-hander.
This is big news for the White Sox. Giolito has been working on getting an extension with the White Sox for some time. He is under club control through 2023. There were reports that the two sides were nearing an agreement last year but things fell through.
The White Sox then failed to reach an agreement with Giolito before last Tuesday’s arbitration deadline. Giolito filed at $7.5 million and the White Sox at $7.3 million. Squabbling over less than a million dollars for a pitcher that has put up Cy Young caliber season the past three years is not a good look.
The White Sox have only gone to two arbitration hearings over the last 20 years, with Avisail Garcia and Yolmer Sanchez. Giolito was “very frustrated” by the situation and even called the initial lack of agreement “disheartening”. He stated earlier in the offseason that he wants to remain with the White Sox for the remainder of his career.
Hahn met with Giolito earlier last week and insisted the two were still on good terms.
“I don’t foresee any lingering issues between the club and Lucas going forward,” Hahn told the media last Wednesday.
Avoiding a hearing was a minor victory for both parties involved.
Giolito was coming off a solid 2021 campaign. In 178.2 inning Giolito compiled a 3.53 ERA and logged 201 strikeouts. It marked the third consecutive season Giolito has had a sub-four ERA.
In 2019 he earned his first selection to the All-Star team and finished the season with a 3.41 ERA while racking up a career-high 228 strikeouts. He also led the league in complete games and complete game shutouts. He finished seventh in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
In 2020 he posted a 3.48 ERA and tossed a no-hitter against the Pirates. Eight of his 12 starts were quality and he allowed three runs or less nine times. Once again he finished seventh in the AL Cy Young voting. During his first postseason action that year he retired the first 18 batters he faced and earned the victory.
The next step will be trying to lock up Giolito with an extension. He has been a valuable asset to the starting rotation and has earned a new contract. However, he will be demanding a lot of money so Rick Hahn will have some tough decisions to make in the coming months.
