Have the Angels already lost the Lucas Giolito trade?

The Los Angeles Angels made many moves in an effort to make the postseason for the first time since 2014. The thinking behind this attempt to go all-in for this season, was to show impending free agent Shohei Ohtani that they could build a winner. Considering the Angels have collapsed since the deadline, it feels unlikely that centering a pitch around winning is what will get Ohtani to remain an Angel.

The biggest move Perry Minasian made was acquiring Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez in a deal with the White Sox. The Angels killed two birds with one stone here, acquiring a frontline starter that they needed while also adding that third high-leverage arm they needed to go along with Carlos Estevez and Matt Moore.

Lopez has been great as an Angel, but Giolito's tenure has had mixed results. With the Angels collapsing, the question must be asked. Have they already lost this trade?

The LA Angels have already lost their biggest trade deadline deal

At the time the Angels struck the deal with the White Sox, it was pretty clear that Chicago was getting more value here. The Angels acquired two really solid players in Giolito and Lopez, but sent away their two top prospects in the process in Edgar Quero and Ky Bush.

Quero is ranked 86th on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list. That's pretty valuable in its own right for two players on expiring contracts. The Angels also included Ky Bush who was not only their best pitching prospect, but their second-best prospect in the system behind Quero. Bush ranks ninth in Chicago's system, while Quero is third.

Seeing why the Angels felt they could part ways with Quero was fairly easy. Logan O'Hoppe is the catcher of the future, so Quero didn't even have a spot anyway. The issue with the deal is the Angels put their eggs in this one basket. They traded their best chips for one shot at a postseason run by acquiring guys on expiring deals. That's a problem.

The Halos will have a tough decision to make with Lucas Giolito. Do they give him a long-term deal despite his iffy start with the club and expect him to turn things around? Do they just cut their losses and let him walk? Neither feels like the best solution. Lopez is an easy guy to look to re-sign, but he's just a reliever. He wasn't worth one of Quero or Bush let alone both.

If the Angels liked Giolito so much they could've simply signed him this offseason and traded Quero and Bush for someone with more team control. The only way a move that involves you trading top prospects for a rental is justifiable is either if the player they acquire just plays out of his mind, or if the team makes the playoffs. Neither of these things will happen here. The Angels wound up being fleeced in their biggest deadline deal in years.