For traded White Sox players, it's been some good (Lynn, Burger), some really bad (Giolito)
When the White Sox look back on this season, if they have the collective stomachs to look back, the highlights are going to be sparse.
One is just a scrap, and it came on July 26 when since-fired general manager Rick Hahn traded starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels for a pair of minor leaguers - catcher Edgar Quero and left-handed pitcher Ky Bush.
Baseball America ranks Quero as the Sox's No. 3 prospect behind Colson Montgomery and Noah Schultz. Bush checks in at No. 12.
Giolito was the key piece in the trade, but much has changed for the big right-hander since he left the White Sox, and not for the good.
Acquired to help the Angels make the playoffs for the first time since 2014, Giolito went 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA over 6 starts.
Los Angeles went 8-19 in August, prompting general manager Perry Minasian to place six players on waivers.
Giolito was on the list, as was Lopez. Last Thursday, both pitchers were claimed by the Guardians, who have faint hopes of catching the Twins in the AL Central.
On Monday, Giolito made his first start for Cleveland, in a big game against first-place Minnesota. It did not go well, to put it mildly.
"It's just kind of like a nightmare situation," Giolito said.
Lasting just 3 innings in a 20-6 loss to the Twins, Giolito tied a career-high by allowing 9 runs.
A free agent at the end of the season, Giolito (7-12, 4.88 ERA overall) was once looking at a contract in the neighborhood of $100 million. Now, he might have to settle for a one-year deal and hope for a bounce back season.
As for how other traded White Sox players are faring, Lance Lynn and Jake Burger have thrived in their new homes.
Lynn was 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA in 21 starts for the Sox. The 36-year-old righty is 4-1 with a 3.57 ERA in 6 starts for the Dodgers.
Burger was having a breakout season with the White Sox, hitting 25 home runs in 88 games. The power surge has continued with the Marlins.
With another home run in Tuesday night's 6-3 win over the Dodgers, Burger has 6 in 30 games with Miami.
Kendall Graveman, who was traded to the Astros for catcher Korey Lee, is 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA in 15 games with Houston.
Joe Kelly went to Los Angeles with Lynn in a deal for pitching prospects Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure along with veteran outfielder Trayce Thompson.
Kelly had 7 strikeouts in 3⅔ innings for the Dodgers, but he's back on the injured list for the third time this season with right forearm inflammation.
Sox lose on walk-off balk, throwing error:
New acquistion Koey Lee has been doing most of the catching for the White Sox since coming up from Class AAA Charlotte on Aug. 24.
While he's looked like a major-league defender, Lee was 1-for-25 heading into Tuesday night's 7-6 loss to Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium.
His first major-league home run, a 3-run shot in the second inning, gave the Sox a 5-0 lead. Andrew Vaughn followed with a solo homer to make it 6-0, but the White Sox still found a way to lose their fifth game in a row.
Trailing 6-5 in the ninth inning, the Royals rallied to score 2 runs thanks to shortstop Tim Anderson's throwing error and closer Gregory Santos' walk-off balk.
"It comes down to executing earlier in the game," Lee told reporters after the Sox dropped to 53-86. "It's not just the last inning. A lot of people see the last inning, but I think it comes down to the whole game. It's a team effort and we came up short tonight."