Phillies Nation‘s Destiny Lugardo penned an interesting column this past weekend about why acquiring a No. 5 starter in advance of the Aug. 1 trade deadline shouldn’t be a priority for president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
The point of the piece wasn’t to say that the Phillies couldn’t stand to add another starting pitcher, but rather that if they trade for one, it should be someone who could potentially start a postseason game.
Enter, Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox.
MLB.com‘s Mark Feinsand recently wrote an article looking at potential landing spots for some notable trade candidates. Among those was Giolito, with Feinsand suggesting the Phillies are among the contenders who the right-hander would be a nice addition for.
At 32-43, the White Sox have been one of baseball’s most disappointing teams. Even though there aren’t any teams with a winning record in the American League Central, the White Sox and their -59 run differential are 4 1/2 games back of the Minnesota Twins. They’re nine games back of the final Wild Card spot in the junior circuit. This feels like one of the few teams in the sport that is an obvious seller.
White Sox righties Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease could certainly intrigue contenders, but Feinsand points out neither are impending free agents. Giolito is, and with that, Feinsand writes that it’s “a near certainty” the 28-year-old is traded before the deadline.
A former first-round pick of the Washington Nationals, Giolito has a 58-51 career record, with a 4.26 ERA and 4.26 FIP in 162 games, 160 of which have been starts. While he disappointed in 2022, Giolito has a 3.54 ERA and 4.29 FIP over 15 starts this season. And between 2019 and 2021, Giolito was one of baseball’s better pitchers, posting a 3.47 ERA and 3.54 FIP over 427 2/3 innings pitched, which were 13th in baseball over that span.
The idea of adding Giolito into a rotation with Zack Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suárez and Aaron Nola — especially if Nola turns his own contract year around — is certainly intriguing. It would be especially interesting if the Phillies believe they can get Giolito back to pitching like he did between 2019 and 2021, when he looked like a pitcher who would get $150+ million when he eventually hit free agency.
Giolito could also be insurance for Nola this offseason, should the Phillies not reach a long-term (or at this point, maybe short-term) deal with their longest-tenured arm.
It would just come down to what it would take for the Phillies to acquire Giolito. With a surplus of outfielders in the organization, would the Phillies part with No. 5 prospect Johan Rojas — who is hitting .313 with 21 stolen bases at Double-A Reading — for the right player this summer? Perhaps. But does Giolito, a rental who hasn’t been at his top form in a couple seasons, fit that bill?
Other arms that could be on the move this summer include Jack Flaherty of the St. Louis Cardinals, Eduardo Rodriguez of the Detroit Tigers and Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs. But Flaherty — another arm who once looked like one of the sport’s brightest young stars — would be a rental. And both Rodriguez and Stroman probably would as well, given that they are having strong seasons and can opt out of their contracts at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
Must Read (Or Watch) Phillies Content
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- The Phillies may very well end up with multiple representatives at the All-Star Game in July, but it might not be the most deserving candidates:
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