White Sox Reportedly Shopping Ace, New York Yankees Should be Interested
When the New York Yankees signed Carlos Rodon in the offseason to a massive six-year, $162 million deal, the expectation was that he'd be the No. 2 starter in the rotation behind ace Gerrit Cole.
But things haven't gone according to plan.
Rodon has yet to throw a pitch for the Yankees, having first dealt with a forearm strain, which has now turned into a back issue. While he has resumed throwing, his timeline to return to the Yankees is still murky.
So, should the Yankees go after another ace to pair with Cole?
According to The Athletic, the underperforming Chicago White Sox could be shopping starting pitcher Lucas Giolito.
Per Jim Bowden:
"If this team doesn’t reverse course, drastic changes could be in order between now and the trade deadline. They could start by shopping Giolito, a one-time All-Star with three top 11 finishes in Cy Young Award voting, who is out of contract after this year."
At this point, It's difficult to rely on Rodon coming back and remaining healthy this season. That is why the White Sox and Yankees could be the perfect match for a Giolito trade.
Since Giolito would just be a rental player, the White Sox asking price shouldn't be too high. That said, starting pitching is typically expensive at the trade deadline.
The Yankees went out and got a starter at last year's deadline in Frankie Montas, who had a damaged shoulder, which required offseason surgery. Montas cost general manager Brian Cashman four prospects, however, he came with another year of control.
The 19-29 White Sox still have time to turn things around before the trade deadline, but if they're unable to do so, Giolito will likely be traded and the Yankees appear to be a solid match.
Giolito is 54-49 in his career with a 4.30 ERA. The right-hander has a 3.62 ERA across 10 starts this season.
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