Jordan Hicks is officially a former Toronto Blue Jay.
According to Jeff Passan, the flame-throwing righty has inked a four-year, $44 million contract to pitch for the San Francisco Giants. Passan added that the Giants are planning to stretch Hicks out as a starting pitcher despite the fact he’s spent almost his entire big league career coming out of the bullpen.
I definitely did not have "Jordan Hicks is getting more guaranteed money than Marcus Stroman" on my bingo card
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) January 12, 2024
Hicks was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals out of high school in the third round of the 2015 draft and he worked through the team’s system very quickly. He posted a 2.97 ERA in 12 starts in Rookie Ball in 2016 and had a 2.74 ERA in 22 appearances between Low-A and High-A in 2017 before making his Major League debut with the Cardinals in 2018.
In his rookie season, Hicks put up a 3.59 ERA across 73 appearances coming out of St. Louis’ bullpen and he picked up six saves. The Cardinals made Hicks their closer to start the 2019 season but he landed on the Injured List in June and wound up having to undergo Tommy John surgery.
After opting out of the 2020 season and missing most of the 2021 season due to an elbow injury, Hicks started off the 2022 season as St. Louis’ fifth starter. He posted a 5.84 ERA over seven starts and was moved back into the bullpen for the rest of the season.
Jordan Hicks is fascinating … he has thrown five innings just once in the big leagues, but it was against the Giants two years ago and he was sitting at 99 in the fifth inning. It's risky, but you can see why they're intrigued: pic.twitter.com/LRYNXFhwFf
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) January 12, 2024
Hicks was back in the bullpen again for the Cardinals in 2023. He put up a 3.67 ERA over 40 appearances before being moved to the Blue Jays ahead of the trade deadline. With the Blue Jays, Hicks settled nicely into a late-inning role, as he posted a 2.63 ERA over 25 appearances while recording four saves.
MLB Trade Rumours projected Hicks to get a four-year, $40 million contract this off-season as the top relief pitcher on the market behind Josh Hader, so it seems the Giants are paying him as a reliever with the hope that he can be an effective starter. San Francisco also frequently utilizes openers and bulk arms in their pitching strategy, so Hicks will have an opportunity to pitch in a variety of different roles for the team.
