Yankees Whiff On Flamethrowing Reliever After Reported Agreement With Giants
Reports are swirling that the New York Yankees are aggressively pursuing arms on the free agent market as they eye upgrades to their starting rotation and bullpen.
One of the players they had their eye on was elite reliever Jordan Hicks, who is coming off one of his best years after posting an ERA of 3.29 across 65 appearances.
The Yankees got a better look at him when he was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to their divisional opponent Toronto Blue Jays where became even better, recording an ERA of 2.63 and ERA+ of 164.
This cemented the flamethrower as one of the best available relievers on the market in free agency.
However, it seems like New York will have to look in another direction after Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Hicks and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a four-year, $44 million contract.
With other targets still out there, the Yankees should be able to pivot fairly quickly and continue their pursuit of pitching upgrades.
Another interesting note that Passan reported is the Giants are changing Hicks' role when he joins the team.
"Hicks, 27, is expected to work as a starter after spending the majority of his career in the bullpen," he posted on his social media account.
The hard throwing righty has only started eight games in his career, all coming in the 2022 season with the Cardinals. He threw 26 1/3 innings in this role and recorded an ERA of 5.52.
Mainly used as an opener, Hicks never went longer than five innings and rarely went past three.
It will be interesting to see how San Francisco uses him in their starting rotation, if it's as an opener or if they actually want to convert him to being some sort of innings eater.
New York might not have been interested in offering Hicks this role if they clearly viewed him as a bullpen option for them.
But now, with Hicks off the board, they'll continue looking for other options who are still available in free agency.
