The Chicago White Sox has a lot of interesting players. One of the best pitchers on the team is Lucas Giolito. He is also always very honest when he talks to the media which he did on Thursday. It is good to hear from one of the most important players in the organization. He certainly had some interesting things to say.
Of course, the most interesting thing that he talked about was the upcoming CBA as the current one is set to expire on December 1st. Lucas Giolito is the White Sox current representative for the MLB Players Association.
He seems to understand that nobody wants there to be a lockout. That would be very bad for baseball and he definitely knows that. Both sides, according to Giolito, want to get a deal done so that we avoid anything messy.
Giolito on if MLB and the Players Union will avoid a work stoppage with the CBA set to expire on December 1st:
— ESPN White Sox (@ESPNWhiteSox) November 4, 2021
"We'll see. We're all working hard to make something happen."
Lucas Giolito is the White Sox MLBPA rep, and hopes to be on the MLBPA executive subcommittee later in his career. Previously the Sox split up team union rep duties.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) November 4, 2021
He spoke about his mindset with the CBA expiring next month: pic.twitter.com/anNfl9qIMm
Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox always has interesting comments.
Lucas Giolito also gave some very interesting opinions in regards to on the field baseball-related things as well. For one, he seems to be excited that Tony La Russa is back for 2022. He thinks that the team was better and closer under Tony which is good to hear. If he and his teammates do enjoy playing for the guy, then the team could absolutely take the next step next year with some new additions.
Giolito on La Russa: "I’m excited for Tony to be back ... As the season went on, we all got closer and really gelled. I don’t think I can find anything to complain about."
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) November 4, 2021
We all want to see if Michael Kopech can be a starter in Major League Baseball. It seems as if Lucas Giolito wants to see that happen as well. He also has some insight into the fact that Kopech himself wants that role as well. We can only hope that this is something that Giolito is right about because Kopech is one of the most talented pitchers that the White Sox have ever had.
Giolito on Kopech moving into the starting rotation in 2022: "I think it would be great. That's what he wants. Obviously the stuff is electric. He has the drive for it."
— ESPN White Sox (@ESPNWhiteSox) November 4, 2021
The Chicago White Sox and Lucas Giolito also don’t have a long-term contract in place. Most of their young core is locked up for a while but they haven’t gotten around to Giolito yet. It is always more difficult with pitchers because they have a finite number of pitches in their arms but it would be nice to see Giolito get his deal. He made some comments about that as well.
Giolito says he's interested in a long term contract but that "a lot of that is out of my hands." There have been no conversations between he and the White Sox about that yet.
— ESPN White Sox (@ESPNWhiteSox) November 4, 2021
There is no doubt that Giolito is very aware of the situations around him. He gives quality answers whenever there is a good question. You can always expect that from him and this won’t be the last time that we hear from Giolito in the offseason.
Giolito on the season: "I was really impressed with the guys that were filling rolls. Gavin Sheets...he did an unbelievable job. He's gonna be an impact player for us."
— ESPN White Sox (@ESPNWhiteSox) November 4, 2021
Giolito says Houston's playoff experience played a big role in the White Sox first round exit: "They knew what to expect. They were ready. Facing a very experienced team, we saw what those guys brought to the table and learned from that."
— ESPN White Sox (@ESPNWhiteSox) November 4, 2021
Giolito wanted to go see his friend, Max Fried, pitch in Game 2 of the World Series but he ended up having COVID-19. He's fully vaccinated and described the symptoms as very minimal.
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) November 4, 2021
Giolito and his wife, Ariana, are "totally fine" now.
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) November 4, 2021
"The vaccine helps a lot, I highly recommend it," Giolito said.
It was awesome to see Lucas Giolito join Jack Flaherty to go see their friend Max Fried play in the World Series. He confirmed in this presser that the reason he did it in game six and not game two was because he had COVID-19. It is good to hear that he and everyone in his world are totally fine.
The White Sox needs a lot from Giolito in 2022. He is one of the great pitchers in the American League and has shown that he can be an ace. If the White Sox want to win a World Series, they need Lucas and his fellow starters to be better in the playoffs next year.