(Audacy) The White Sox are off to a decent start in May, but unless they show sharp improvement after their woeful April, they figure to be sellers ahead of the trade deadline on Aug. 1.
Chicago stumbled out of the gate and sits at 12-23 entering play Monday, seven games back of first place in the AL Central. The White Sox's season has already been marred by injuries and underperformance. There’s no disputing the White Sox have talented pieces, but the sum continues to be less than its parts.
Because of those struggles, the future of right-hander Lucas Giolito has already become a topic of conversation. The White Sox don't plan to keep Giolito beyond the 2023 season, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported over the weekend. That means he's a strong candidate to be dealt ahead of the trade deadline if the White Sox continue to be out of the race. White Sox relievers Kendall Graveman and Joe Kelly are also trade candidates, Nightengale reported.
Giolito is 1-2 with a 3.67 ERA across seven starts this season. His walk rate is down, but so too are his strikeouts.
“Certainly, if it continues along this line they’re going to have to make some changes,” Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Monday. “And certainly when you have a guy (Giolito) who’s a free agent and is going to be an expensive free agent and things haven’t worked out, I think it would be unlikely to really spend big to bring him back.
“So I do think if things continue along these lines, they do look like a seller. They probably could get something for Lucas Giolito. A lot of the sellers this year – there are a half-dozen teams that are just horrendous and have no good players, they’re not in that boat. They do have some good players, they’re just not a good team for whatever reason.
“Lucas Giolito would have a market, obviously (Dylan) Cease would have the best market, but I doubt they would even consider trading Cease, despite the slump. Obviously, his value is extremely high.”
Reaching the point of moving Cease would be a nuclear scenario, and the White Sox will more likely look to retool with other trades instead of embarking on a bigger teardown. What's for certain is that if the White Sox's performance doesn't improve drastically, changes of some sort will be coming.
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