The White Sox and right-hander Lucas Giolito avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $7.45 million contract.
Giolito had expressed frustration and disappointment over having to go through the arbitration process with the White Sox after the two sides were only $200,000 apart in their filings last week. Giolito filed for $7.5 million while the Sox filed at $7.3 million.
“Very frustrating,” Giolito said last week. “I love White Sox fans and I appreciated all the love from those guys [on social media]. It’s just very unfortunate, disheartening.”
Giolito, 26, went 11-9 last season with a 3.53 ERA, 1.103 WHIP, and 201 strikeouts in 31 starts last season, his fifth with the Sox.
General manager Rick Hahn said chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with Giolito before the deal was reached.
“It’s almost like when I told you don’t worry about it so much, I know a little something,” Hahn said Friday.
Hahn said Giolito and Reinsdorf “had a nice conversation about how negotiations sometimes get a little bogged down and tried to search for solutions out of it. Obviously we’re happy we were able to and have everyone’s focus properly on the season ahead and not worried about preparing for some sort of in-season hearing.”
With this signing, all players on the White Sox 40-man roster have agreed to terms for 2022.
