Ex-Yankees Outfielder Available; Red Sox Could Take Chance On Him To Bolster Position
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Should the Boston Red Sox take a chance on a former member of the New York Yankees?
Former New York outfielder Aaron Hicks officially was designated for assignment by the club Sunday afternoon to make room on the active roster for newly acquired outfielder Greg Allen, according to the club. The Yankees recently acquired Allen from Boston in exchange for intriguing hurler Diego Hernández and cash considerations.
Hicks is an 11-year veteran and has spent the last eight years with the Yankees after beginning his career with the Minnesota Twins. The center fielder was drafted in the first round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft by Minnesota and he made his MLB debut with the club in 2013.
New York acquired Hicks in exchange for John Ryan Murphy ahead of the 2016 campaign. In eight years in New York, Hicks has slashed .232/.337/.398 to go along with 81 home runs and 278 RBIs.
Although he has struggled in recent seasons offensively, Hicks is a versatile outfielder who mainly plays center field, but has seen time at all three positions throughout his career with the Yankees. So far in 2023, Hicks has slashed .188/263/.261 to go along with one home run and five RBIs in 28 games.
Hicks soon will find himself on a new team after being designated for assignment. Clubs will have one week to place a waiver claim on him, but with two years and roughly $10 million per season left on his contract, he likely will go unclaimed. If a team were to claim him, they would immediately need to place him on their 40-man roster and also take on his contract. New York also could trade Hicks over the next week, but that also is unlikely. Ultimately he likely will become a free agent and be able to sign anywhere.
If the Boston Red Sox were looking to add more depth, Hicks may make some sense. He has plenty of American League East experience and is an 11-year veteran. He has had some offensive struggles, but is very solid defensively and could be a depth piece if the club were to deal with injuries. Boston already has dealt with a plethora of injuries, so it wouldn't be too surprising if more were to come up. The Red Sox also have some familiarity with Hicks after spending eight years in New York.
Hicks will become a free agent and due to his offensive struggles may not get a major league deal. If Boston could sign him to a minor league contract and give him a chance to work out his offensive kinks in Triple-A, a move may make sense.
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