MLB Rumors: White Sox, Angels far from done after Lucas Giolito trade

The Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels completed a late-night trade, sending Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez out West. 

By pairing two assets in one trade and taking advantage of a desperate team in the Angels, Chicago was able to land a top-100 prospect via MLB Pipeline in catcher Edgar Quero, who is just 20 years old.

By adding Giolito to the rotation and Lopez to the bullpen, the Halos have signaled to the rest of baseball that they are going for it, and thus will not trade away Shohei Ohtani. If Giolito and Lopez — both rentals — commanded that much in return, an Ohtani deal could have reset the Angels farm system, and perhaps put them in contention for years to come.

Arte Moreno didn’t like that option. Ohtani stays, for now, and the Angels hope they can re-sign him in the offseason. Meanwhile, Chicago builds for the future.

MLB Rumors: Angels, White Sox far from done at the MLB trade deadline

The Angels next step is to add another big bat alongside Ohtani and Mike Trout. Per Jon Morosi, LA and the Washington Nationals have already discussed a trade for Jeimer Candelario.

Candelario has rebounded nicely as a pure rental with Washington, with a .257/.338/.486 batting line this season. His price tag should be lower than the Giolito/Lopez trade.

As for the White Sox, their fire sale should continue shortly. Lance Lynn is a trade target of many teams, and with his deal expiring in 2024, he’s not a rental which should only increase his value. Aaron Bummer, who decreased his ERA with another impressive outing on Wednesday, has been targeted by contenders.

Joe Kelly, with his World Series experience and potent bottom lip, has drawn some interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers and other teams, per FanSided’s Robert Murray.

Expect the White Sox to stay busy.