Rick Hahn and the White Sox provided a flurry of updates this morning, including an update on Lucas Giolito’s contract situation, Garrett Crochet’s injury, the remaining Spring Training roster, and more!
Here’s a recap of anything you might’ve missed from a very busy morning for the White Sox.
White Sox, Lucas Giolito Avoid Arbitration
After trading Craig Kimbrel for A.J. Pollock this morning, the saga that was Lucas Giolito’s 2022 salary has finally come to an end. The White Sox agreed to terms on a $7.45M contract for Giolito, avoiding arbitration.
As you’ll likely remember, the White Sox and Lucas Giolito were unable to come to terms on a deal before the original arbitration deadline, which was rare for a team like the White Sox historically. The White Sox are not typically a team that goes to arbitration with its players. Reports later came out that the White Sox filed at $7.3M, while Giolito filed at $7.5M, angering White Sox fans who were surprised that the team was willing to haggle with their ace over just $200K. Later, Rick Giolito (Lucas Giolito’s father) came out and told people that the difference pre-arbitration was as little as just $50K, enraging White Sox fans further that the team was willing to haggle over such a small amount of money. However, at the end of the day, the team was able to come to an agreement at a number that is far closer to Giolito’s initial filing – and actually appears to be the initial number Giolito requested before filing for arbitration.
With this, the White Sox have avoided arbitration with all players heading into the 2022 season, and can now focus their entire efforts on their World Series aspirations.
Garrett Crochet Likely Needs Tommy John Surgery, Will Miss 2022 Season
With all the good news coming in this morning, this news was a bit more difficult to swallow. Within his updates, Rick Hahn announced that Garrett Crochet is likely going to need Tommy John Surgery – though, he is going to get a second opinion. This injury occurred during last night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
Unfortunately, there is no in-game video to show the injury. However, last night, Crochet struck out the first batter of his appearance, and was 3-1 on the next batter when he left the game. The Reds’ radio broadcast gave us the most information we have: Crochet apparently spiked a ball in front of the plate and was unable to move his left arm very much on his way out of the game.
Additionally, Garrett Crochet is unfortunately not new to arm concerns. You’ll remember his rookie debut in 2020, specifically in Game 3 of the 2021 AL Wild Card against the Athletics. Crochet was dealing early, but left that game early as well, dealing with elbow soreness. Throughout the 2021 season, Crochet would never reach the same 100+ velocity readings we saw from him back in 2020.
Should Crochet indeed need Tommy John Surgery, the White Sox now have an additional hole to fill in their bullpen in addition to Kimbrel’s departure. Rick Hahn has expressed that the team might not necessarily be done adding, however, Bennett Sousa, Ryan Burr, and Anderson Severino are three internal names to keep an eye on to fill the second lefty role in the White Sox bullpen.
Crochet would likely be out until mid-2023 should he get Tommy John Surgery, as that is usually a 13-15 month recovery window.
White Sox Shrink Spring Training Roster Further
As we get closer to the end of Spring Training and the beginning of the regular season, the White Sox are continually shrinking their roster to get their team closer to the final 28 (for April) for Opening Day. This morning, the White Sox made 7 roster moves, including optioning Zack Collins and Jake Burger, among others, to AAA Charlotte. As of today’s Spring Training game, the White Sox will have 35 players remaining in Major League Spring Training camp.
None of these moves are incredibly surprising, but they do give some clarity into a few positions:
- Romy Gonzalez is growing more and more likely to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.
- Assuming the White Sox do not add anyone else, the backup catcher battle will be between Nick Ciuffo and Seby Zavala. Ciuffo was a minor league signing this offseason by the White Sox and is a former first round draft pick.
Matt Foster, Adam Haseley, and Jake Burger will continue to serve as serviceable depth in the case of injury/ineffectiveness, but the trade for A.J. Pollock this morning left one less spot for players on the fringe to be able to make the roster. The rest of the roster will begin to take shape in the coming days, with backup utility positions and a few spots in the bullpen still up for grabs.
We will continue to update you as the White Sox announce more roster moves, or if the White Sox provide any further updates on Garrett Crochet’s condition.
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Featured Image: Brandon Anderson / Twitter
A lot of White Sox news today, more good than bad. With today’s new roster moves I’m guessing the front office isn’t done with their ‘tweeks’ before opening day. Hopefully they will include something significant like another quality SP, most likely from the A’s in a trade. With AJ Pollock now a regular in the White Sox lineup and outfield, the front office might be more amenable to moving Gavin Sheets in a trade for LHP Sean Manaea. It would probably take Andrew Vaughn to centerpiece a deal for Frankie Montas, something I would not like to happen. Hopefully the optioning of Zack Collins to AAA today means the White Sox are also looking to add a veteran backup catcher to their roster. They could also use another southpaw in their bullpen to supplement Aaron Bummer with the bad news regarding Garrett Crochet.
Sad news but not totally surprising on Crochet. The disclosure might explain the significant loss of velocity last year. He may return in the Frank Tanana style of pitching in midyear 2023.