The Los Angeles Angels acquired right-hander Lucas Giolito and right-handed reliever Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox for two top prospects late Wednesday, bolstering their roster on the same day they decided they would not trade star Shohei Ohtani before he hits free agency this winter.
The move for Giolito, arguably the best pitcher on the trade market, and Lopez, whose fastball regularly hits 100 mph, was the first significant trade in Major League Baseball before Tuesday’s deadline. Multiple contenders had considered dealing for Giolito and Lopez, but the Angels swooped in with catcher Edgar Quero and left-hander Ky Bush, both at Double-A, to reinforce themselves for a playoff run.
The Angels have won six of seven games to move to 52-49 but remain four games out of the final American League wild-card spot, with two other teams, New York and Boston, also ahead of them.
In Giolito and Lopez, the Angels will add to a rotation and bullpen that both rank 20th in baseball in earned run average. The 29-year-old Giolito (6-6), who will be a free agent after the season, has a 3.79 ERA and has struck out 131 in 121 innings. The 29-year-old Lopez, who in 2016 came to the White Sox along with Giolito in a trade for Adam Eaton, has shown flashes of excellence this season and sports a 4.29 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 42 innings.
Originally taken in the first round by Washington in 2012, Giolito was long regarded as a frontline starter in the making. From 2019 to 2021, he received Cy Young votes and finished the season with ERAs in the mid-3s. While his ERA regressed last year, he has consistently posted top strikeout-to-walk ratios. He regained a half-mile per hour on his fastball this year and was the White Sox’s most productive starter, although his 20 home runs allowed are the 11th most among 63 qualified starters.
