Before Sunday Night Baseball kicked off between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, a blockbuster trade occurred, sending Rafael Devers from Boston to the Bay. Four players made up the return for the Red Sox, including right-handed MLBbro pitcher Jordan Hicks, who is the most established big leaguer out of the bunch.
Fireballer Started With St. Louis Cardinals
The 28-year-old has accrued seven years of service time, with the majority of his services coming as a reliever. Coming up as a St. Louis Cardinals prospect, Hicks’ primarily threw a sinker that flirted with triple digits along with a wicked slider that created a tough tunneling path for hitters to handle out of the pen.
Contrary to assumption, his arsenal has never garnered standout swing-and-miss or strikeout numbers, but instead an elevated high ground ball rate that avoids barrels. He has also had control issues, walking 11.5 percent of batters in his career.
Throughout his tenure with the Cardinals, Hicks established himself as a solid backend arm. But the Houston native always wanted to start, and he got a limited opportunity in 2022 in St. Louis. In eight starts, Hicks went 0-4 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He was relegated to the bullpen for the remainder of his time as a Cardinal.
Jordan Hicks Traded To Toronto Blue Jays
After struggling in the pen to finish that season along with the beginning of 2023, Hicks put together a 2.67 ERA and a 30 percent strikeout rate in the three months leading up to the trade deadline. He was dealt to Toronto that July, putting up a 3.38 ERA in 24 innings across the border.
Hicks entered free agency after the 2023 season wanting to fulfill his desire to be a starting pitcher. The Giants obliged Hicks’ request, and he inked a four-year, $44M contract with the organization in January 2024. The contract offered flexibility where Hicks would be an extremely valuable rotation option or a key piece for the backend of San Francisco’s bullpen.
Hicks Moves Back To Starter With San Francisco
It was his first full offseason and spring training to acclimate to being a starter, and Hicks saw success early on, going 4-2 with a 2.70 through his first 12 starts. But the innings piled up on his arm, and Hicks’ effectiveness slipped as the season continued. His command issues caused him to never go particularly deep in starts, and he was transitioned to a reliever for the rest of the season.
2025 didn’t offer the same hot start for Hicks in the rotation as he posted a 6.35 ERA as a starter before being moved to the bullpen once more. He saw some success in four appearances before landing on the injured list on June 2 with right toe inflammation. He is expected to return soon, and the Red Sox hope he will return to be a formidable arm at their disposal.
Jordan Hicks Has Lots Left In Tank
Even with his inflated statline this season, Hicks has allowed only a 4.7 percent barrel rate paired with a 58.7 percent groundball rate. But he has been hit relatively hard and thus allowing a career-high .354 batting average on balls in play. Hitters also just aren’t chasing when Hicks goes out of the zone. He has a .285 batting average against, with his sinker being the main culprit, as batters are hitting .321 on the pitch.
Over the years, Hicks has morphed his slider to a sweeper, which has been his best offering since its implementation into his repertoire. He has primarily used just two pitches throughout his career, but mixing in his four-seamer more, increasing his splitter usage—a pitch that he’s messed with in recent seasons—or utilizing a cutter as a bridge pitch could do wonders for the righty.
This arsenal tweaking along with a focus on better command could return Hicks to the fearsome flamethrower who will bolster Boston’s bullpen.
