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GLENDALE, AZ. – One of the biggest topics of spring training off the field for the White Sox has been the contract of one of the team’s best starting pitchers.

Lucas Giolito and the White Sox were as close as $50,000 on a deal for the 2022 season earlier in March, but it appeared that both sides were going to be headed to arbitration about a week ago when no agreement was reached.

But just a week before Opening Day, the pitcher and the team have finally come to agree on a new deal.

The White Sox announced that they’ve come to a one-year, $7.45 million dollar deal to avoid arbitration with the 2019 All-Star who has become a key part of the team’s rotation.

Giolito went 11-9 last season with a 3.53 ERA with 201 strikeouts during his 31 starts, completing his fifth campaign with the White Sox.

It’s been quite a rise for the starter, who was acquired in the Adam Eaton deal with the Nationals back in 2016. Sporting an ERA of 6.13 in 2018 while allowing a league-high 118 earned runs, Giolito made the All-Star Game in 2019 as he went 14-9 with a 3.41 ERA then followed it with a 4-3 record with a 3.48 ERA in 2020.

During that pandemic-shortened season, Giolito threw a no-hitter against the Pirates at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 25th. He would then take a perfect game into the seventh in a Game 1 win over the Athletics in the Wild Card Series that October – which was the White Sox first playoff win in 13 years.