3. Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the game.
The Chicago White Sox made a great trade when they sent Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals. It will always be seen as a great trade because Eaton wasn't nearly as big for the White Sox as Chris Sale. He was a pretty good outfielder that landed them some amazing talent.
They got Dane Dunning who was traded for Lance Lynn. They also got Reynaldo Lopez who is now one of their best bullpen pitchers. However, Lucas Giolito was the headlining prospect to return to the White Sox in that deal. Now, he is headed to a very uncertain future but he controls his destiny.
Giolito, as you've heard, was one of the worst pitchers in baseball in 2018. Things turned around for him in 2019, 2020, and 2021 as he was a top-ten American League pitcher in all three of those years. He wasn't the worst pitcher in 2022 but he certainly wasn't great. He needs a bounce-back year.
He was so good in the past that his arbitration was avoided with a contract of over 10 million dollars. The problem for him is that he needs to be elite again in 2023 if he really wants to cash in next year. If he doesn't play well, you can bet he'll be on another team in 2024.
Hopefully, Lucas and everyone else on this list live up to their former selves. If they do, the White Sox will be a much better team this year than they were last year.