Nationals: Giolito vs. Luzardo, former prospects on display

With the American League playoffs kicking off, we will get to see two former Washington Nationals prospects pitch in the White Sox/Athletics opener.

To determine who wins or loses a trade, we usually have to wait until the prospective careers of those involved are over. The Washington Nationals will get some insight into what their future could have looked like when the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics begin their best-of-three playoff series.

Lucas Giolito and Jesus Luzardo will get the call for each of their teams, respectively, and Nationals fans can see an extension of their drafting and development at work.

Giolito of course, went to the White Sox in a trade which netted the Nationals Adam Eaton. While Giolito did appear in six games with the Nationals before the trade, he was too young in his career to exhibit the talents he has grown into with the Sox.

In his four years in the Windy City, Giolito has won 31 games, been selected to an All-Star team, garnered Cy Young consideration, and most recently, pitched a no-hitter.

Adam Eaton won a World Series with the Nationals. With Eaton most likely on his way out of town, watching Giolito may be a hard pill to swallow for Nats fans. Especially after seeing what the starting rotation looked like this year in the nation’s capital.

Jesus Luzardo was sent to the West Coast in a trade which secured the services of Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson.

Doolittle pitched well during his time with the Nationals, finishing with 75 saves and a 3.03 earned run average. He too, has a World Series ring. While injuries and overuse marred his 2019 campaign, and a strained oblique ended his 2020 season, his tenure with the Nationals can still be looked at in positive light.

Luzardo hasn’t been immune to the injury bug either. He has shown flashes this year of what the future could hold with the Athletics. He had three starts this season where he pitched at least five innings without allowing an earned run, striking out seven in two of those starts.

At just twenty-two years of age, his stock is continuing to rise.

Their talents will be on display in the first round of the playoffs when they share center stage.

There is a winner in both of these trades, the Washington Nationals utilized their pieces to win a World Series in the short term. The A’s and White Sox are just now reaping the benefits of the deal, and presumably will for years to come.

Who the overall winner is, we may not know for years to come.