MLB Rumors: 5 likeliest White Sox trade candidates and where they should land

MLB Rumors: 5 likeliest White Sox trade candidates and where they should land, No. 1: Lucas Giolito to the Angels

This is the year for the Los Angeles Angels to swing for the fences at the trade deadline. All of the talk entering this season was, “Will the Angels trade away Shohei Ohtani?” That would have made for an interesting trade deadline. The thing is, the Angels are actually playing good baseball right now, and are not far behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West. So, Ohtani’s not getting traded, even though he’s a free agent this winter.

What has plagued the Angels for so many years was their lack of quality starting pitchers. This year, Ohtani is easily their best-starting pitcher, and it’s not particularly close. Patrik Sandoval has a good ERA as of this writing. Tyler Anderson, who the Angels acquired from the Dodgers, hasn’t played that well thus far. So, starting pitching is an obvious need at the deadline. If the White Sox sells, the Angels would be wise to inquire and acquire Lucas Giolito.

As the White Sox’s No. 2 pitcher in the rotation this season, Giolito has recorded a 3.54 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, a 5-4 win-loss record, 89 strikeouts, and 28 walks in 86.1 innings (15 starts).

Giolito is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, so he is an obvious trade candidate who can fetch a return. The issue is, the Angels have one of the weakest farm systems in all of baseball, so they will have to work some magic to get a deal done. But, Giolito to the Angels makes perfect sense for a team that is looking to make a postseason push and ensure Ohtani re-signs with them after the season.