GLENDALE, Ariz. (670 The Score) – Just $200,000 separated White Sox ace Lucas Giolito and the club as they exchanged salary figures Tuesday, and the ensuing path toward arbitration has left Giolito upset.
Giolito filed for a $7.5-million salary in 2022, while the White Sox submitted a $7.3-million figure. The sides are still allowed to negotiate and reach an agreement before an arbitration hearing, but Giolito nonetheless feels there’s a disconnect.
“It’s very frustrating,” Giolito said Wednesday. “First of all, I love the White Sox fans. I appreciate all the love I got last night on Twitter. This is very unfortunate and disheartening. I love this team and before the filing to come down to a $50K difference (the numbers since have changed), it’s like, ‘Come on.’ It’s just an upsetting part of the process. That is why a lot of us guys don't enjoy the business side of the game.”
Giolito, 27, went 11-9 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 178 2/3 innings in 31 starts in 2021, when he made $4.15 million. He’s in his second year of arbitration.
“At that point (of an arbitration hearing), it's out of your hands,” Giolito said. “You can just focus on the team and what we are trying to accomplish. It has no effect whatsoever on playing. I am always going to go 100% for the guys behind me. We are trying to do something special this year. We have people we hire for that. We just want to get something fair done.”
Giolito is under team control through 2023. He didn’t go into much detail about whether hard feelings from arbitration could affect long-term contract extensions talks in any way.
“Like I have always said about extensions and contract stuff, I love this team,” Giolito said. “The more I play, the more I understand my value as a player. I just want fair compensation. That is where I am at.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.