Amid a quietly productive offseason, the White Sox acquired veteran reliever Jordan Hicks as part of a complex deal centered around pitching prospect David Sandlin.
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Jordan Hicks | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Sandlin is clearly the centerpiece, arriving with rotation upside and immediate relevance to Chicago’s spring training competition.
Hicks, meanwhile, appears expendable on paper, included largely to facilitate Boston’s payroll relief.
That framing risks underselling what Hicks still offers if used correctly.
Once a dominant late-inning arm in St. Louis, Hicks’ career unraveled after a failed transition to starting pitching.
Subsequent bullpen work in San Francisco and Boston only deepened concerns about command and consistency.
In 2025, hitters overwhelmed him, producing extreme OPS numbers and a strikeout rate unworthy of his velocity.
Walks, health setbacks, and poor secondary pitches combined to erase his margin for error.
Yet Hicks still generates elite ground-ball contact, ranking among baseball’s best in suppressing airborne damage.
His triple-digit sinker remains intact, producing weak contact even when command wavers.
That specific skill translates well to lower-leverage roles, where mistakes are survivable rather than decisive.
Chicago won’t ask Hicks to close games, shielding him from pressure that magnified his struggles elsewhere.
Dominguez and Leasure will absorb high-leverage innings, allowing Hicks to rebuild incrementally.
If his secondary offerings stabilize even slightly, effectiveness could return quickly.
Velocity paired with ground balls always carries bullpen value.
In a rebuilding environment, patience becomes an asset rather than a liability.
A productive first half could transform Hicks into a deadline trade chip.
At minimum, Chicago loses nothing by experimenting.
At best, they unlock a version of Hicks others gave up on too early.
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