White Sox avoid arbitration with Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez

The White Sox avoided arbitration with right-handers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez on Friday, signing Giolito for $4.15 million and Lopez for $2.1 million on one-year deals on the last day to settle before exchanging arbitration figures.

The Sox will have no arbitration hearings this year. Giolito, 26, was the most significant of their arbritration-eligible players. The Sox’ Opening Day starter in 2020, he finished seventh in the American League Cy Young voting after going 4-3 with a 3.48 ERA in 12 starts, ranked second in the AL in strikeouts and threw no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and one walk on Aug. 25 against the Pirates at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Sox are giving Lopez, 27, another chance to earn a spot in the rotation or bullpen after a disappointing 2020 season in which he posted a 6.49 ERA over eight starts. The Sox hope new pitching coach Ethan Katz can help Lopez to return to his 2018 form when he was perhaps the Sox’ best starting pitcher with a 3.91 ERA over 31 starts.

This will be Lopez’ fifth season with the Sox after he and Giolito were acquired along with Dane Dunning in a trade with the Nationals for Adam Eaton.

Lopez is 21-31 with a 4.76 ERA in 81 career starts with the Sox.