Flame-throwing pitcher Jordan Hicks is headed to the Giants on a four-year, $44 million deal, reported ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Friday.
The Yankees had previously expressed interest in the reliever, whom San Francisco intends to convert into a starter. After trading away seven pitchers — and catcher Kyle Higashioka — to the Red Sox and Padres for Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto, Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported that New York was eyeing the 27-year-old Houston native.
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Since then, the Yankees have added Cody Poteet, who only pitched once last season, journeyman Luke Weaver and Marcus Stroman, and remain interested in trading for White Sox starter Dylan Cease.
In 65 appearances between the Cardinals and Blue Jays last season, Hicks, 27, recorded a 3.29 ERA with 81 strikeouts over 65 2/3 innings, an 11.1 strikeouts per nine rate. It was a healthy season for Hicks, who had been on and off the injured list for the better part of his career — he missed all of 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery during the 2019 season.
Hicks is known for being one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in MLB. Last season, his average four-seam fastball velocity was 100.1 mph, second only to Jhoan Durán who averaged 101.8 mph on the gun. This has caused him to be wild around the zone, posting a 4.39 walks per nine rate in 2023. While this represents an improvement from 2022, when he posted a 5.1 walks per nine rate, it’s still the 16th worst rate in MLB.