3 Former White Sox Who Failed Miserably With Their New Teams in 2023
By Jovan Alford
2. Lucas Giolito, Boston Red Sox
Giolito is another player who spent multiple seasons in the Windy City with the White Sox but was playing elsewhere in 2023.
The veteran starting pitcher started the season with the Sox, where he had a 6-6 record and a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts. However, the team decided to trade Giolito ahead of the deadline to the Los Angeles Angels for minor league players Ky Bush and Edgar Quero.
Giolito didn’t last long in Anaheim, as he only made six starts. The right-handed pitcher struggled with the long ball (10 home runs allowed), which was an issue in Chicago (20 HRs allowed). He also gave up 33 hits, 25 earned runs, and had an ERA of 6.89 in 32.2 innings pitched.
After struggling with the Angels, Giolito was put on waivers and picked up by the Guardians in late August. The veteran pitcher’s struggles continued in Cleveland as he had a 7.04 ERA and gave up 11 home runs in 30.2 innings pitched.
The 29-year-old Giolito will hope to turn things around with the Red Sox in 2024 after he signed a two-year, $38.5 million contract in December. However, he must improve his fly ball rate (29% in 2023) and hard-hit rate (41.6% in 2023), especially pitching at Fenway, which has favorable hitting dimensions.