While most of the players traded by the White Sox at the deadline have acclimated-to-thrived with their new teams, Lucas Giolito can't say the same.
Giolito went 1-5 with a 6.89 over what turned out to be a six-start career with the Los Angeles Angels, and another change of scenery via waivers didn't help.
Wearing yet another new uniform and facing a very familiar opponent, Giolito's Cleveland debut was a disaster. He gave up nine runs over three innings as the Twins flattened the Guardians 20-6, and created two unflattering footnotes in the process.
No. 1: He became the first pitcher since 1899 to give up eight runs in a start for three different teams in the same season.
Lucas Giolito is the first pitcher to allow 8+ runs in a game for 3 different MLB teams in the same season since Bill Magee did so in 1899 for the Louisville Colonels, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Senators.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 5, 2023
No. 2: He was outpitched by a position player in both effectiveness and innings, because utility man David Fry picked up the final four innings and allowed just seven runs.
At least the Guardians Twitter account maintained its sense of humor afterward.
David Fry will not be available to pitch tomorrow night.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/B6q0JockRU
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 5, 2023
When Giolito left the White Sox, he was 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA, good for 2.7 bWAR or 1.7 fWAR. He's now 7-12 with a 4.88 ERA, and risks getting forgotten about in a crowded free agent market for starting pitchers.
Spare Parts
The White Sox have lost the second most WAR from players traded and acquired at the deadline even with Lucas Giolito looking like a smallsox blanket. Jake Burger has been worth 1.1 WAR by himself with the Marlins.
Pollock ended up losing his bet on himself, coming up well short of the plate appearances needed to beat what the White Sox would have paid him if he merely opted in to his deal. He hit .165/.214/.309 over 144 plate appearances between the Mariners and Giants, although watching what happened with the White Sox clubhouse, I doubt he has any regrets.
Ray Ratto pretty much nails it:
[Reinsdorf] had to defend something that can't be defended by trying to infuse the hope that comes from hiring someone less than half his age, and even if that tactic could work, the people to whom he was defending it weren't keen on buying it. Reinsdorf did his duty by being available but forgot that he is held as the reason that things reached the state in which his availability was demanded, an ouroboros of blame delegation and acknowledgement that made folks happy he decided to turn up and then angry that his message pleased nobody.
I first thought about writing about Pedro Grifol, but I want a break from the guy. Daryl Van Schouwen's gamer sums up where we're at:
“I really don’t have much to say. You guys saw the game, everybody saw the game,” said Grifol, who might have felt embarrassed after losing by 11 runs during his second homecoming of the season in the town he finalized the résumé that got him hired by the Sox.
“In games like that, you’re always going to get inconsistent effort,” he said. “Am I OK with it? No, I am not. Am I going to address it? Yes, I am.”
There were no blatant signs of lack of hustle, so perhaps Grifol saw things in the undertow of this latest loss that didn’t sit well. Asked to elaborate, he said, “I’m not going to get too deep in the effort. I didn’t like it for the most part, and we’ll address it.
Whatever happens with Michael Kopech, there's a little solace in knowing that there isn't a great way to handle any young power arm, as Tom Verducci notes.
