Lucas Giolito reacted favorably when the Washington Nationals traded him to the Chicago White Sox this offseason.

"The trade, to be honest with you," Giolito said, "was like an immediate breath of fresh air. I'm still young, and my career is just getting started, but last year I dealt with so much adversity. I moved up and down so many times between the big leagues and Triple-A last year, I never really got a feel. I never really settled in."

Giolito was ranked as one of baseball's top three prospects last year and made his Major League debut on June 28 against the New York Mets. The Nationals promoted and demoted him four times in 2016.

"Every start was like I have to do well or I'm going to get sent down to Triple-A," Giolito says. "The team wanted to win, and if I wasn't going to give them an opportunity to win, then they wouldn't want me there. It made sense.

"The Nationals really wanted a championship, and they still do. That's why I think they made all of the trades they did, to get guys who already are contributing at the big-league level and making an impact.

"I expected to make that impact too. It just didn't happen."