White Sox trade Giolito, Lopez to Angels for 2 prospects

After blowing a 7-2 lead and losing to the Cubs 10-7 Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox officially began cleaning house.

Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez were traded to the Angels for a pair of minor leaguers.

Switch-hitting catcher Edgar Quero and left-handed pitcher Ky Bush are coming back to the Sox in the deal.

The 20-year-old Quero is hitting .245/.385/.332 with 3 home runs and 35 RBI in 69 games this season with Class AA Rocket City. Baseball America ranks Quero as Los Angeles' No. 2 prospect.

The 23-year-old Bush is 1-3 with a 5.88 ERA in 6 starts this season with Rocket City. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder is 1-1 with a 1.84 ERA in his last three starts.

Baseball America ranks Bush as the Angels' No. 4 prospect.

"Very optimistic about the development path for both of these players, but not quite ready to put a timeline on them," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said late Wednesday night.

With the Sox losing five straight and holding a 41-62 record, the trade was not a big surprise.

"Certainly not going to lie," Hahn said. "The idea that we're at this point where guys like Giolito and Lopez, who we acquired back in 2016 when we sort of kicked off a rebuild in earnest, are now the guys that logically make sense to move given their contract status, there's an element of real deep disappointment that we're at this point right now."

Giolito and Lopez are eligible for free agency at the end of the season. They were both acquired from the Nationals in a trade for Adam Eaton after the 2016 season.

Giolito, a Los Angeles native, is 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA over 21 starts.

Lopez is 2-5 with a 4.29 ERA and 4 saves in 43 relief appearances.