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Lucas Giolito, who was recently traded to the Angels. | Photo courtesy of Clint Midwestwood/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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As reported on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Angels have acquired right-handers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox. Swapping the two for catcher Edgar Quero and leftie Ky Bush, the exchange was clearly focused on bolstering the Angels’ rank ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
A Santa Monica native turned Chicago asset, Giolito has made 21 starts this season, boasting a strong 3.79 ERA with an impressive 131 strikeouts, which ranks tenth in the American League. On the flip side, Reynaldo Lopez has shown his skills primarily as a reliever, appearing in 43 games this season alone. Lopez has managed a 2-5 record with a 4.29 ERA and has clinched four saves.
The changes for Giolito, however, are not strictly geographical. As part of the Los Angeles Angels, the right-hand pitcher would be placed in the rotation behind Shohei Ohtani, and alongside others such as Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Griffin Canning and Tyler Anderson. As noted by Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, Lopez is expected to be crucial in strengthening the Angels’ bullpen by serving primarily as a middle reliever, which is mainly due to his consistent track record.
The aim to strengthen their pitching staff and the resultant swap saw the Angels bidding farewell to two of their best prospects in Bush and Quero. Bush previously played for the ACL Angels and Double-A Rocket City. His recent record shows a 7.20 ERA (30 IP and 24 ER). However, his three minor league seasons have framed him in a commendable light with a decent 4.47 ERA (145 IP and 72 ER).
Quero, the aspiring catcher heading to Chicago, boasted an average of .245 (62/253) with three home runs and 35 RBI in Double-A this season. His stint with Rocket City formed part of his three minor league seasons for the Angels, which saw him hitting .280 (220/787) with 25 home runs.
News about this major four-player swap began a whirlwind of activity Wednesday night. After expressing their intention to keep two-way star Shohei Ohtani off the trade market and their plans to buy, it wasn’t long before general manager Perry Minasian confirmed that they obtained arguably the best player expected to be dealt with this deadline, Lucas Giolito, as well as Lopez.
For the White Sox, these incoming players offer a diverse skill set. Quero, despite skipping from low-A ball to the Double-A level, has maintained a commendable performance. Though he is yet to reach his peak as a potential everyday MLB starter, his youth and swing show promise for his long-term potential.
For Bush, injuries limited him this season to only eight appearances, six of which were at the Double-A level. It will fall on the White Sox to watch Bush’s workload, considering he has only exceeded the 100-inning mark once.
Regardless, this move set a clear precedent for the Angels’ commitment to winning this season. With Ohtani set to become a free agent following this season, Minasian is making it clear to the two-way star that he will do whatever it takes to bring the organization back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
