The White Sox are using a stripped down payroll to add to the system, announcing Sunday that they’ve acquired right-hander Jordan Hicks, pitching prospect David Sandlin, two players to be named later and cash from the Red Sox in exchange for minor league righty Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later. Chicago will take on two-thirds of the money on Hicks’ underwater contract, so the trade effectively amounts to the White Sox purchasing Sandlin from the Red Sox.
Boston clears $16MM of the $24MM Hicks was owed over the next two seasons off their books. The move lowers their current luxury tax payroll to $258MM according to RosterResource, just below the $264MM threshold for the second tier of penalization.
There have been some indications dating back to the early parts of the offseason that Boston prefers to stay under that second threshold, though trades for pricey veterans such as Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras in addition to the signing of Ranger Suarez had previously pushed them over that line. Trading away the bulk of Hicks’ salary has allowed them to sneak back under, though with the team still known to be looking for infield help it’s entirely possible that additional moves could change that positioning.
In order to get Hicks off the books, the Red Sox are parting ways with Sandlin, ranked as Boston’s No. 11 prospect by Baseball America headed into the 2026 campaign. The soon-to-be 25-year-old righty struggled over 23 2/3 Triple-A innings last year, but he pitched to an impressive 3.61 ERA across 17 outings (13 starts) at the Double-A level with a 25.4% strikeout rate.
Sandlin is viewed as a player with a chance to stick in a big league rotation who could’ve helped Boston’s bullpen as soon as this year, but now he’ll head to Chicago where he’ll have an easier chance to find a big league role in the short-term. Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, and Sean Newcomb currently stand as the team’s projected starters entering Spring Training, but Sandlin could join players like Jonathan Cannon, and fellow former Red Sox hurler Chris Murphy in standing as a primary depth option behind those players, with a chance to earn a job on the big league club out of camp this spring.
Going the other way is Ziehl, who Baseball America ranked as Chicago’s No. 21 prospect headed into the 2026 campaign. Acquired from the Yankees over the summer in the Austin Slater trade, Ziehl made his pro debut last year with a 4.12 ERA in 22 appearances (21 starts) across the Single-A, High-A, and Double-A levels. The righty has a five-pitch repertoire led by a solid sweeper, but the rest of his arsenal draws unimpressive marks despite previous scouting reports that suggested his fastball could top out at 97mph. The righty figures to start the year at Double-A for the Red Sox, but questions remain about whether he can be more than a long reliever in the majors.
The deal is a sensible one for the White Sox to make as they look to accelerate their rebuild and gather more credible MLB talent. After trading Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets in a deal that garnered infielder Luisangel Acuña, the Sox have reinvested in the big league club by signing Austin Hays to replace Robert in the outfield and adding Seranthony Dominguez to a bullpen that needed some veteran late-inning help.
This latest move adds another young pitcher close to the majors (Sandlin) while also bringing an intriguing bounce-back candidate into the fold. While Hicks wasn’t likely to have a role with the Red Sox this year after struggling to an 8.20 ERA with the club, there’s little reason for Chicago to not roll the dice on a player with an upper-90s fastball and a history of success in the majors.
Hicks has primarily pitched as a starter in recent years after signing with the Giants as a rotation piece, but his biggest successes (including a dominant 2023 season with the Cardinals and Blue Jays) saw him pitch in relief. It’s unclear what role Hicks will take with the White Sox this season, but given their lack of established bullpen pieces (outside of Dominguez) and their deep group of potential starting options, perhaps a move back to the bullpen could make some sense for the hard-throwing righty. Should he return to the bullpen this year, he’ll have the chance to join the likes of Mike Vasil, Jordan Leasure, and Grant Taylor in handling setup duties behind Dominguez.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported that Hicks and Sandlin were being traded to Chicago. James Fegan of Sox Machine reported that Ziehl and a PTBNL were going the other direction. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported financial details of the swap.
Put him in the bullpen
Dominguez, Leasure and Hicks could be a solid bullpen
Don’t forget Grant Taylor, though would rather see him get innings as a starter in the minors
Are the W. Sox really going to pay Hicks 17 million to relieve? Because I think he’s proven he’s no good as a starter. For that kind of money he better be closing. Getz doing what he promised and re-investing the Robert money and then some. Dominguez-Hays- Hicks. 30 million compared to 20. Hey it’s weak division, So might as well get Venable all the help he can get. It’s at least worth a golf clap( Insert here)
He gets 12, 8 of which the Sox pick up and the full 12 next year.
It’s $12M/year for 2 years before you subtract the $8M Red Sox are kicking in to make it $8M/year for the Sox.
Ok. I thought it said he was making 25 million a year. It was 24 for 2 years? OK I totally botched that one. So Getz is right on in investing the Robert money. So now the trade stands as Acuna, Some pitcher, Dominguez, Hays and Hicks for Robert. That’s a steal anyway you slice it. Well played.
The cost of dumping Hicks was Sandlin. It will be interesting to see how this transaction (I can’t call it a trade) works out in a couple of years.
which as pointed out is low end closer money or high leverage releiver money.
I think they make this the make or break start of the season for Hicks to start, and move him to the pen if he is not doing great in his first 5ish starts.
White Sox will be sending a player (undetermined) yet back to Boston
And Red Sox are sending 2 PTBNLs
So Getz bought Sandlin and gave up a #21 prospect to rent Hicks. If Hicks is somewhat useful in the bullpen, Getz can trade him to get a similar #21 quality prospect back and only be out 2/3 of a season of discounted salary.
Getz seems to understand the concept of buying prospects.
Chris Getz it, and so do you!
@Bob Sacamano 310
I’d prefer Grant Taylor remains with the White Sox in 2026. Chris Sale and Garrett Crochet didn’t require a return to the minors to become SP’s after their MLB baptism in the White Sox bullpen.
Let Taylor help the White Sox in 2026 in whatever bullpen role they see fit. That could be in high leverage situations, as a long reliever or some combination of both.
Taylor will still be on a strict pitch/innings limit this year and could stretch out with more bullpen work as he gears up to become a full time SP by 2027 which hopefully won’t be impacted by a work stoppage. He’ll also be under the guidance of the MLB pitching coaches rather than being subjected to HR Derby at AAA Charlotte.
He’s definitely not going down. Getz made a comment about how the organization views Grant as having Mason Miller potential to churn through multiple high leverage innings. Think the new trendy fad after Josh Hader is getting away from the old fashioned single clean inning Billy Wagner model towards the multiple inning or high leverage outs wherever they exist and Will Venable shares that belief. The White Sox had a good thing going when they initially converted Michael Kopech into this, but he couldn’t stay healthy and then was proffered to the Dodgers to kick start the rebuild. Sox got a nice piece back in Vargas but Getz, Will and pitching coordinator Brian Bannister are all in agreement here. Also wonder if Brian given his previous affiliation with the Giants has specific intel on how to unlock Jordan Hicks. Imagine if the Sox harness Hicks’ potential, even on a limited basis, and add him to the back end with Grant and Seranthony. Could we see something analogous to the lights out bullpen of the Royals world series teams or daresay one of the all-timers: the Nasty Boys Reds?
Mostly a salary dump for the Red Sox and the White Sox get marginally better.
We know.
I like this move for the White Sox. They could end up with two good pitchers and they haven’t given up much or spent much.
Who is the most famous philosopher to wear socks? Sockrates.
Red Sox getting out of that contract is a big win. They only paid $8m of $25m owed
But they are also adding Sandlin, so significantly less of a win.
Meh. They got back a comparable pitching prospect in Ziehl that they won’t have to add to the 40 man for a couple more years. So they in effect cleared out two 40 man spots which they can fill with free agent or trade additions. BIG win for Boston.
Sandlin has been passed by numerous other pitchers the Red Sox have acquired since they acquired him. I wouldn’t rate him a big loss.
It’s hard to know where Sandlin stoop with the WooSox. I don’t think he was going to start, too many better starting pitching prospects. He has a starters pitch mix but doesn’t miss as many bats as he should with triple digit fastball. He was right handed though and much of the pitching depth is left handed. He’s a good get for the White Sox.
“Stood”
Bruin – Thanks, you are the person I rely upon for fair unbiased assessments of minor leaguers.
Unlike certain others who praise every Red Sox prospect, until they leave the organization at which time they suddenly lose all value …. weird how that works, isn’t it ;O)
Wait: did you pause in the middle of your explanation to let out an exclamation of excitement? Blah blah blah start, blah prospects woo(!) Sox blah pitching. Cool move
And 2 more PTBL
@hiflew A 50 FV pitcher is not comparable to a 40 FV arm??? lol
Also probably paving the way (via these savings) to acquire FRAMBER VALDEZ, who’ll be a major asset as a lead starter.
You think the team that currently has more SP on its roster than it knows what to do with is looking to add Valdez?
Valdez is better than most of them.
Not happening. If Henry allows Breslow to spend more, it will be for a righty bat (Suarez). A trade is still possible.
This looks like a pure salary dump to get below the second CBT tier. Ownership said that they were going over the first bump but didn’t want to go over the second one. This accomplished that my guess they explored options on Masa but found no takers. Sandoval would be another possibility but other teams probably want to see how he looks in spring training before trading for him.
Bruin, the funny part to me is Yoshida in my view has much more value than Hicks and if the Sox would have agreed to pay $10m or so, I can see the White Sox flipping him at the deadline if not immediately. His 27 salary might not be as important tax wise under the next CBA.
dewey- the key word is “if”. I didn’t think the Sox would sign Suarez, as he’s way too 1 dimensional. IMO, the Sox are done with major moves and will roll the dice with who they have and hope the pitching wins the day.
tuto – Don’t hold your breath on that one.
smk – I totally disagree, the Red Sox will very likely make at least one more trade for an infielder or to simply lower the CBT team payroll. Sandoval or Bryan Bello could be next.
Major asset? More like major asshat-when he takes out your catchers. Amirite?
I agree, Valdez would most likely be the #3/#4 in that rotation, but you can’t have half your roster be SP.
Agreed, the Red Sox are NOT committed to winning a World Series, they are ONLY committed to being good enough to be in contention for a WC spot, thus keeping asses in seats at Fenway and money in John Henry’s pocket. On a recent podcast I watched Jared Carrabis said that John Henry was NOT a baseball fan and he viewed the Red Sox as strictly a business, the late Larry Lucchino was the true baseball lover of ownership and the driving force behind them spending as much as they did from 2003-2019. Once he passed, ownership became much more fiscally minded.
Kevin – Breslow said this off-season that their plan is to compete for a playoff spot, and to compete for a world series. Using “compete” instead of “win/winning” is concerning.
Here’s where the quote is from: mlb.com/news/craig-breslow-talks-red-sox-biggest-o…
He doubled down on it, mentioning it again later in the off-season.
FSG’s main concern is keeping profitability high for the Sox so they can invest those profits elsewhere. So invest a little but not too much, and hopefully you maximize the return.
Hey Joemo – want to make yourself really depressed, read the bios of the FSG Board of Directors, more billionaires than you could share a stick at, and all they can do is “hope to compete”?
Business first, second and always
Sad – I’m having a surprisingly good Monday, hope yours is going well, I’d rather not ruin it. I’ll save it for a day that’s already ruined.
Bruin – They are still $5M over the second threshold, I strongly believe at least one more salary-reducing trade is coming.
While Yoshida is the top priority, it could be Bryan Bello, Sandoval, or Duran. All would get them under with a few million left for the usual meaningless trade deadline pickup.
Fever- IMO, moving on from Sandoval is not a “major” move. I’m not saying that the Sox are 100% done making ANY moves, but I don’t see them making any more significant moves. obviously, if they move Bello, that would be significant and hopefully wouldn’t be a salary dump per se.
can’t see the Sox moving Bello to the Cubs for Hoerner or Shaw, Marte is allegedly off the table, and now Suarez and Donovan are off the board (not upset the Sox didn’t land either of them), so I still feel like they are done with any major moves. wouldn’t mind being proven wrong. Just a gut feeling.
smkelly – I agree with your assessment. And, i would also LOVE to be proven wrong.
In the case of Sandoval, . the Sox have already paid $5m, and are on the hook a for another $12m+ this season. After the trades and signings, i’d rather be able to deploy that $12m ($9 against the tax) somewhere else.
Sad – I would still be shocked if Sandoval gets traded before the season. If he returns and pitches well, he could command a decent amount of talent at the trade deadline and the Sox would save $4.5M off the CBT total.
Looks like Henry’s moolah is being deployed to procure a fancy Jacket from Rennes : in 26-27!
FPG – Serious question, because i’ve been racking my brain trying to figure this out, injuries aside, Where is Sandoval going to find innings?
Obviously, if he makes three starts in ST and is electric, he could be traded, after that, i’m at a loss
Theo – great call!!!
I did a little research into this because when LFC signed Florian Wirtz 12 days after trading Devers i almost lost my mind………
While obviously, the owner is the owner, most EPL clubs have Boards that are semi-autonomous in Operations. In fact, there’s usually a fairly decisive line between Club governance and on-field operations.
That said, Henry is green lighting big purchases in Liverpool, for sure
Sad – I wouldn’t put any weight into how he looks in ST. So many factors …. lots of rust, facing a bunch of minor leaguers, experimenting, working on certain pitches ….. remember Giolito looked good in his first two ST starts, and then he was done for the year.
I think Sandoval would be the #5 or maybe they go to to a 6-man for a while. Running out of time to trade Bello, but it’s still possible.
Theo – I didn’t get the joke but it sounds like a good one anyway so I gave you a thumbs up!
Jacquet is a forthcoming acquisition by Liverpool FC. £60 million that Henry has green lit for his other club: that’s just the transfer fee. As Sad Sox notes: not exactly dollar for quid, given separate governance but essentially less money here means more there and vice versa. Good spirit tho FPG
Who is the worst joke teller in all of MLBTR universe? GiantsFan81
And by a long shot
Socrates Brito played for the Snakes and Jays
Socrates used to talk and talk all day yakety yakety yak no action, became known to the kids on the playground as Socrates Taco. Then one night at summer camp they wrapped up in a series of sleeping bags. When he woke he was dubbed Socrates Brito.
Socrates couldn’t find home plato.
There is a joke somewhere about Pitchthagoras’ theorem of pitching to three corners of the plate that I have accepted I am not smart enough to write.
Until he found the right angle of release all his pitches went too hypotenuse.
I wish I were high on poteneuse.
Bringing the raw ingredients to a cookout where several cub sous chefs are chilling on their day off from hells kitchen. That’ll work. Points!
Noice! Was he also quite learned, literate and book smart which made him well, Read. So he became known as Read Sockrates.
Dumpster
More urban legends
Then over time Read Socrates was reduced to Red Sox
Wtffff
Deadline piece
Immediately thought soooo this means Frambor
Then saw they sent $8 million…..so they think that much of hicks.
Henry might be too focused on his soccer clubs instead of signing framber
Nobody wants to sign anyone named Framber.
Shadow – I knew a couple named Frank and Amber, they referred to both of them together as Framber.
But they eventually broke up.
Fever that’s a good one
I was more bullish on Hicks than most, but I’m perfectly happy to see him and his contract move along.
I agree Meow.
Hicks has a good chance to turn things around, but, he could also require time from the failed experiment.
Im thinking Daniel bard trajectory is possible.
But, if all it cost was sandlin to add flexibility, clear up the books some… it look OK to be at this moment in time
GaSox – I think it was less about flexibility and more about profitability.
I respect your opinion but wow, this is a massive day and huge success for the Red Sox here. I cringed every time this guy came into the game.
Considering his massive contract, the money sent out plus so-so surplus Sandlin is a huge huge win for Boston. I’m very glad to see this deal.
Gary- The Sox must have been pretty confident they could not “fix” Hicks. I don’t know anything about the prospect we got in return, so not sure how significant giving up Sandlin was. Glad they have some financial flexibility. Funny how everyone was saying nobody would want Hicks in the other recent article.
Did you see Hicks pitch last year?! It was painful. I actually felt bad for the guy.
Gary- Absolutely, I was nervous when he came in because I knew the Sox had a significantly higher chance to lose. I still think he could get things turned around, but I did not want to see him in another game for the Sox.
Uncle – That’s a common problem some people have here, the inability to see value in players who have been underperforming or injured. Inevitably said people demand the player be released.
They said it about Raffy, and look how quickly they got a team to acquire him and his entire contract.
They said it about Story, they said it about Yoshida, they said it about Giolito, and they’ve been saying it about Casas.
Most of us here pointed out attaching a prospect would help facilitate the unloading of Jordan’s contract.
Sandlin is no slouch. Good move for the White Sox
Sandlin got hit around pretty good in AAA last year, significantly dropping his stock.
They essentially bought sandlin and his potential, in exchange for taking on hicks and his potential to become a trade chip.
Seems like a solid deal to me.
Don’t sell him short he’s a tremendous slouch !!
Nice easy $17m savings for the RSox, for a guy who was probably not going to have a major role.
The fact that they found a taker for Hicks and his contract is a victory unto itself. The other option would have been to hope he produced better results this year, and if not just eating the rest of his contract at some point.
I said 3 years ago that the Giants would mess him up by making him into a starter. Looks like I was right. It rarely works out outside of Garrett Crotchet
To be fair, Hicks wanted to be a starter and SFG agreed to let him. That’s why he signed there at the time. He had plenty of other offers as a reliever, but chose to start.
Yep, he wanted that SP money, which he got from SF after one good year.
Wow Nostradamus on mlb trade rumors
Sox didn’t make Crochet a starter. He was always intended to be used as a starter from his stellar career as a Vol. Just placed him in the pen when they drafted and immediately deployed him on the playoff roster during the Covid yr when there was no option to pitch in the minors. Then had him in the pen to build up his strength after arm surgery.
Garrett Crochett was always pegged to become a starting pitcher with TOR upside. He began in the bullpen to build up his workload following limited work in college along with other factors like the shortened Covid-19 season (no minors ball) and injury issues.
Commencing the careers of hard throwing potential TOR’s in the bullpen is also a fairly common m.o. of the White Sox. They did it with Chris Sale and are also projected to do it with Grant Taylor in the next year or two.
Decent move by the Chi Sox, they get a better SP prospect vs the guy they gave up + they can flip Hicks at this deadline or next deadline
Hicks was among the very worst pitchers in baseball last year.
only way now is up
Hopefully they don’t continue the rotation experiment with him, his stuff plays best in the bullpen where he doesn’t have to hold back
They may be trying to turn Hicks into Garrett Crochet 2.0, just like they are trying to turn Anthony Kay into Erick Fedde 2.0.
Then they can trade Hicks back to the Red Sox for another Teel, Montgomery, Meidroth haul
A pair of teal curtains, a montgomery ward catalog and a chase lounge.
See what you did there. Points!
6.95 ERA, negative aWAR and sox fans like the move
Chicks dig the 100 mph fastball.
You gave me flashbacks to Bobby Parnell turning to the scoreboard after every fastball to see if he hit 100, even though his four-seamer had movement at 97 but was straight as a dart at 100.
We’ve learned to trust Bannister. Houser came in and pitched very well for us, but couldn’t for Milwaukee (a pretty good development team) or Tampa Bay (a known pitching lab). Before that, Fedde pitched well for Chicago, then poorly after he got traded. Sox don’t work magic with everyone, but we fans trust that if they targeted these guys that there’s a plan to improve them and something Bannister likes in both that he can work with.
Especially pitchers who’ve had lower body surgery and have to climb a lot of stairs. jk, Bannister is good.
Why are the Rockies not trying things like this?
Because Hicks is awful and they’d rather spend $17m on something else, most likely.
My point was not that it should be Hicks specifically, but that Colorado should be looking to take on contracts that teams are looking to unload in exchange for prospect upgrades. Would you have been okay if the Rockies had sent someone like Yujanyer Herrera to Boston for Hicks and Sandlin? Best case scenario, Hicks eats some innings and you have a pretty good pitching prospect. Less best case scenario, Hicks goes back to being a flamethrowing bullpen guy and you still get a pretty good pitching prospect.
red sox want tovar. what do you want for him
More than Boston will give up.
Because good players turn to trash when they go to Rockies, which when they finally lease Colorado they win more.
Funny coming from a Saints fan.
Now sign Suarez even though there’s nowhere to put him. That worked out pretty well last year
Wait…which Sox are rebuilding and which are supposedly contending?!
You’ll have your answer by tomorrow. Red Sox clearing away a little money allows them to make another move. Maybe plug a hole at third base or second base?
But if you can’t wait that long for an answer, just look at the team who took on a bad contract because they have space in their payroll with no intention of using it other than a case like this where they can pick up a minor Leager with some promise.
Said the Red Sox fan whose team is destined for a 3rd or 4th place finish for years to come. So Hicks going to White Sox means Red Sox practically gave Giants Raffy Devers. Yeah good deal for Boston. LMAO
Seriously, the great majority of Sox fans here in Boston are roasting ownership over the Betts and Devers deals (and Sale) as we wait for them to sign a bat / make a trade – anything of significant impact. No point in trolling Sox fans as we likely agree with you 😉
No. We aren’t. We are over Betts l, that sucked, we all applauded Sale, that’s didn’t work out, and are split on Raffey, but I’m glad that fat A is out of town.
That was a pretty weak trolling effort. There are much better fit trades to try this sort of line on.
Sounds like a win for the White Sox here. They get the better prospect for taking Hicks? Not bad all around.
Red Sox get a pitcher who threw 107.0 innings with only 19 walks and 90 strikeouts. Sandlin has big stuff, but little control. He fell down their depth chart as Connley Early and Payton Tolle passed him in addition to 7 starters with multiple MLB years on experience ahead of them. The Red Sox also open two spots on the 40-man for acquisitions.
Nobody said what they got was bad, but he’s also not two guys, and again Sandlin is still higher ranked prospect (system wise). This was a pure salary dump for the Red Sox.
Salzilla, this is NOT purely a salary dump.
Jordan Hicks sucked last year. There’s nowhere to pitch him except for mop up duties when you’re down five runs.
It’s the actual definition of a salary dump. You got a lower prospect and PTBNL. Hicks and Sandlin are both bounce back candidates with high upside.
It’s actually NOT the definition of salary dump.
It doesn’t matter how much Jordan Hicks earned for playing baseball.
He was on the first train out of town because he was not very good last year. Doesn’t matter if he makes 14,000 or 14 million.
This is a player dump not a salary dump.
Call it what you will, but the Sox are saving 17 million dollars here on the player. Hicks has a lot of value and talent. He had a bad year, yes, but there’s a reason they were able to trade him.
Salzilla:
He has talent in the form of potential. But, he’s had 7 years to show it in the big leagues.
4 walks per nine is just too much and is whats killing his ability. The Red Sox had two-thirds of a season to see if they could bring that number down and obviously felt they couldnt.
Don’t get me wrong here I’m not blaming the Sox for cutting their losses, but just reading it how it is.
Gary, the reason why its somewhat more of a salary dump is sandlin.
The red sox didnt get a better prospect back than what they have up. You’re likely expecting a wash, but, recent performance, sandlin is currently graded as better/higher potential.
If the trade was purely hicks for a ptbnl lottery ticket, then it’d be dumping the player. But, to get more of hicks salary picked up, thats why sandlin was attached. Leaning the trade towards being both about dumping the salary, and the player.
I agree with you, GA, I just don’t want to admit it out loud.
Another thought might be this. It’s not a “pure salary dump.” It’s more to the tune of dumping Hicks’ salary. I think that is a little more palatable. Thoughts?
Gary, at that point its just phrasing, six of one, half dozen of another. I think we’re on the same page though
4WS: Agreed. The Red Sox traded two pitchers with bad control for $16M and a pitcher with good control. They value the ability to throw strikes and limit walks.
Makes a ton of sense in general. CHI gets a guy who is much closer and easier to project plus a rebound candidate whose cost was partially offset, and BOS clears 40 man roster spots and saves luxury tax money while still getting an arm with upside appeal that is further away.
Essentially trading Hicks means that gave Giants Devers for free
Saints fan- not true, we also got Kyle Harrison hahahaha
The Red Sox moved Fevers for two reasons: 1. Get rid of his contract. 2. Get him out of the clubhouse. Mission accomplished.
Monstah- the front office said that Devers was a clubhouse cancer, not any of the players, the manager or any one ever during his 12 years in the organization.
Liverpool did the same thing to their best player in the same way…its a FSG pattern of blaming the high cost player
Sad – its possible to like a person, and, have that person be a source of discord and a distraction in the clubhouse.
Remember the multiple reports about devers ranting against the team, and, a teammate the writers kept anonymous told him ‘shut up’ and ‘quit talking’??
Ever have someone who was likable as a person at work, but, they made projects harder or the office not run smoothly to you could focus on the task at hand?
A clubhouse cancer can be disruptive, without being a constant a-hole everyone despises
Especially when it means Boston gave Devers to Giants for free. That’s some dang gone good dealers there in Boston
Not free.
It requires the Giants pay 250 million dollars. Hardly free.
Plus the Red Sox received a Major league ready #4 or 5 level starting pitcher.
White Sox are staying busy this offseason while the rest of the AL central is sleeping.
offseason champs. raise the pennant
Glad to be rid of Hicks, but don’t love swapping the P prospects. Would have liked to grab an IF prospect instead of another arm. The farm is really short on the position player side.
You take what you can get at this point for a guy like Hicks without giving up more money or sending out a higher ranked prospect. This is a win win win no doubt about it.
Red Sox are all about pitching development today. If a team wants to send a pitching prospect, You take it every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
You know what Joe, in order to be relieved of Hicks duties you have to send out something.
A guy like Sandlin is perfect because of the obvious reasons. There’s like five guys ahead of him on the chart, he’s 25 years old and mid, and by sending a pitcher to Chicago, the Red Sox were able to receive another pitching prospect in return.
How would this transaction even take place if the peripherals involved weren’t included?
Devers to Giants for free…right? Good move
That was last year
All they have from the Devers trade is Kyle Harrison and Bello. This is as bad as the Mookie Trade.
Question is, is it opening up a roster spot for another move.
Don’t forget all the salary they freed up! That should allow them to get a big bat in free agency… Right?
The money they freed up of Dever’s contract, including the costs of players in return, Bregman’s lone season to displace Devers, and the Hicks dump, roughly lands at $183M over the next 9 seasons, as compared to the $241M (which includes $64.5M of deferred monies) the Giants owe.
If they were going to replace the salary with another guy, why not just keep Rafael Devers? He was an excellent bat wasn’t he?
You’re not making a lot of sense here today Joe and I’ve only read two of your comments.
The freedom to put it in other more valuable positions seems the only reason. It is an old moneyball/ Bill James hypothesis to maximize value.
No Henry will just pocket it.
But Bello berry good, no?
The Betts trade was about getting something for a guy who was a year away from walking. They got a bunch of years of a cheap high floor young hitter who gave them plenty of value, but of course every troll out there wants to act like just because he didn’t stick around for a decade and didn’t break out for batting titles as was the fringe hope that BOS got nothing there. The notable prospect BOS got busted and the throw in prospect has actually produced value, so the deal was actually fine considering it was for one year of a superstar’s control.
The Devers trade was about clearing the huge contract off the books of a superstar hitter (but only star player overall due to defense) who had become toxic in the locker room. Many thought his value was underwater, as in moving essentially his whole contract should require adding value to go with him, and yet Boston got some other pices to go with dumping the radioactive asset.
There is nothing “bad” about that, right on down to how much better the Red Sox played once the Devers cloud was removed. It was not home run trade or anything, but it was a necessary move and in context (something internet people struggle with) a relatively good deal.
Now time to move on.
Redsoxu571- Im sorry, but did you say the Mookie deal was “fine”? And the Devers deal was “in context a relatively good deal”?
Im not one of those posters on MLBTR that call people names are denigrate their opinions, but your post is not good LOL
Goose – the Red Sox have the monster haul of Connor Wong, Kyle Harrison and Jose Bello for Mookie Betts and Raphael Devers…..
The main return in the Mookie Betts trade was the $48M the Dodgers took on which was half of David Price’s remaining contract. When you take on that much money, the player return is less.
Suit – money is fungible….you can’t give away a top 10 and a top 25 player for salary relief and get no players back
Mookie kept saying he was going to be a free agent. Unable to sign him, they needed to trade him. So the Red Sox could have traded him for a haul of players or a haul of salary relief to reset the luxury tax. They chose the latter. Salary relief trades happen in baseball with some bigger than others.
Suit- you can get salary relief in a million different ways, I’ll even give you Devers (even though I personally disagree), but you dont give away a generational talent to save a couple of bucks….sorry
They didn’t just give away Mookie. They tried to sign him. $48M is not a couple of bucks. It is significant financial flexibility.
Suit – all that finacial flexibility youre talking about brought us how many last place finishes?
Sadsox.., “ to save a couple of bucks???”
I think Mookie wanted $400 million.
Why do some people think $400 million is a couple of bucks?
I think it’s to help their argument make sense but we can see it does not make sense.
Guyz are forgetting Devers was a cancer in the clubhouse.
Looks like you bought the goods the Front Office had to spin to make the trade and get the gullible easily influenced fan base to believe. None of the players thought Devers was a cancer.
Face it, the trade of Devers is a complete disaster,
Provost – who said he was a clubhouse cancer? Breslow?
Hicks was not a fit for the Red Sox. They are trying to win now and were not able to straighten out Hicks last year. I would not be surprised if he turns things around, but it will likely take a bit of time. Did not like the Devers trade, but it is what it is and allowed for financial flexibility as they try to build a winning team.
Great deal for the White Sox in acquiring two high-upside relievers for very little in return.
For Red Sox, this saves a little money but mainly opens up two 40-man spots. Expecting we will see a lefty reliever, an infielder and possibly a catcher, signed within the next two weeks (another 40-man slot will open shortly).
Maybe the Red Sox go get Brendan Donovan and one of the Cardinals’ catchers?
Hicks has upside, and Sandlin is pretty good. Good dump by the Red Sox. Wonder if the Astros can pull off anything like this.
Redsox clearing money and 2 off the 40 man roster. Something is brewing 👍🏻
I’ll take an herbal tea please.
Cleaning up disorder and mess id think. I doubt its the end of moves, but, this type of move wasn’t necessary for anything big
It didnt clear the space for a large move, so, either way they would’ve been in the next cbt tier.
GA, this move allows for theoretically the team to sign Suarez and/or deal Duran and Bello or Sandoval for a second baseman or even a top starter (with other players if need be).
No Suarez for BoSox. He sign with Reds
Did not see that coming.
cinci just signed suarez for 1 yr/ 12 mil.
So the W Sox essentially flip Roberts for Hicks, Dominguez, Acuna and a couple of prospects. If, and it’s obviously a huge if, but if the second half W Sox from last season is the floor, then maybe they’ll start to appear to be a major league caliber team.
Don’t forget that they signed Austin Hays with the Robert savings too.
Good call
Bip or Tony?
White Sox are certainly moving in the right direction. Setting themselves in a good position for mid season trades as well as no long term commitments and payroll flexibility all while improving the current roster.
Pretty good off season I’d say.
I had Hicks being let go by Red Sox at the end of ST if he didnt show big improvement. So, for me, it becomes Sandlin for Ziehl and $17M savings is a big win.
But, its also a big win for WS as well, by gettting Sandlin and a possible flippable Hicks. The salary means very little to them.
Then, it is a good trade.We’re both teams. too bad they wouldn’t take massac
Maybe thats next.
I am expecting Suarez to sign with the Sox by dinner
Yuck. I pray you’re wrong
your prayers were answered.
Spoiler Suarez already did, but Framber VALDEZ might.
Nope. Sox are not taking on a FA contract that puts them back over the second LT line. The whole point of this trade was to get under and salvage their draft slots.
*Maybe* they would go back over for a star infielder. But they’re not going to spend big on another starter this year.
There is definitely more to come. I know they have not been the big spenders that they once were, but if they think they are a move or two away from being a major player for the World Series title it becomes an investment. Last year was the beginning of the process of spending to get more value in the end. I honestly don’t think the luxury tax is going to stop them and another player or two traded will open up more money.
Well I had not seen that the Reds signed Suarez before I made that post. I was expecting the Sox to sign him after this trade. The Reds got him for such a reasonable price I am very surprised the Sox did not make a move.
They don’t need Valdez. They needed Bregman but they screwed around and watched him walk.
I don’t see them adding a free agent pitcher. I was sure Bregman would be back. Most likely the Sox were as well. They might find a replacement before spring training, but it obviously won’t be Suarez as I had expected.
…because Bregman is not worth $35 million per year for five years.
You may be right about Bregman not being worth the contract he received. I was not expecting him to get that much. We will have to see how he holds up over the length of the contract. He seemed like a good fit for the Sox and he has the potential to warrant that size contract if he can stay healthy and doesn’t see a decline in his offense and defense over those 5 years. Only time will tell.
lol Yeah ok champ, whatever you say
Uh No. Went to Reds
steeler…WRONG!
Salary dump. Good move for the Red Sox
Huge win for Breslow to offload that contract.
But muted by having to include Sandlin to make it happen
Yes because John Henry is really struggling financially. Thank god another billionaire can feel better.
Never, I don’t think John Henry is struggling financially. And what’s wrong with being a billionaire? You’d rather the government owned the team?
why not? there’s no legal impediment to doing so unless a state has a particular law preventing it.
my tva electricity is the most efficiently produced electricity in the united states.
Just makes the Devers trade look even worse……
Because Devers helped get the Giants out of the playoffs, and the Red Sox into the playoffs . . . . . .
Far too early to judge the deal, but if one had to be picked at this time, it would be the Red Sox.
The difference is that we called up Roman Anthony. The team would only have been better with Devers
Maybe. We’ll never know. But, I dont see a path where the Red Sox win a WS in 2025. The move wasnt made with winning WS in 2025, it was made to make the team better for the future. $300+M tied up on a DH with a bad back is a bad idea.
It was roughly about $240M for the next 9 years with 64.5M in deferrals (’34-’43). So the cost to have Devers at 1B wasn’t bad. Better than most of the current free agent deals.
However, it was just that the money was locked up. There must have been an impetus for money greater than just the downsides of Devers tail end. In the end, after today’s trade, they cleared roughly $180M in obligations from that original contract. How they intend to use it is unclear. Some have speculated about the money going into Liverpool FC (they signed spent $400M over ’25 summer).
1) Devers is not a 1B. He is a DH. San Fran just signed Arraez, Most likey he is 1B and Devers is moved to DH. Regardless of what the FO says on February 1st.
2) Devers is owed $233M going into 2026 according the Spotrac. Alonso just got $155M and is a better ballplay with fewer health issues. Devers is overpaid,
3) Everything about Liverpool FC and Fenway Groups finances is private and a clear paper trail of the money would never exist, even if it wasnt. So your “speculation” is completely made up by whoever speculated it first.
BPF – I dont understand how people still look at a long term deal and are amazed that 7, 8 or 9 years someone is going to be “overpaid”. In just a few short years since the extension Devera is the 27th highest salary in baseball. In 2027 hes projected to be about the 36th highest paid player, and so on, and so on…..if the Giants win even one World Series do you think they’ll even care what Devers salary in is 2031?
Sad Sox:
If Devers were an FA this year, there’s no way he would have landed a $233M contract.
Kyle Tucker $240M
Bo Bichette $126M
Dylan Cease $187M
Alex Bregam $162.5M
Therefore, he is overpaid.
Sadly, baseball folks criticizing FSG re Liverpool don’t understand how LFC is able to make these player acquisitions (and facilities improvements) off of revenue, PL tv deals, European competitions, and player sales. LFC is one of the top clubs, most well-run organizations in the largest global sport and market. LFC creates more than $300-325M more in revenue than the Sox last year alone. Liverpool is one of the top 4-5 global sports brands (RedSox maybe top 25).
If anything, I’d expect the Sox to spend MORE from the overflowing FSG coffers due LFCs success. Sadly, that hasn’t happened.
BPF — uptight much.
You claim Devers is a DH only. You claim he overpaid. You claim Alonso is better. You claim I’m speculating.
Devers will definitely be the main 1B over Arraez (unless Eldridge figures things out) due to height.
Devers gets paid until ’33 when he is 36 and aav of $23M. Alonso is getting $31M for the next 5 years until he is 36 in ’30. It should be noted that Alonso is the worst 1B defender by a wide margin.
My point about Liverpool FC is just an idea, as it is common knowledge Henry’s Fenway group owns multiple sport teams. And these “dumps” typically coincide with spending elsewhere. I don’t necessarily think it is tied together. But if Henry needs liquidity, going after big contracts is something he has done frequently since he acquire the team.
We MADE him play DH. He didn’t want to remember? He was a third baseman and I believe in my heart of hearts that if we asked him to move to first base to start the year instead of lying to him and signing someone at his position, this whole situation would have never been a real problem
How many more years does Devers have? He’s much younger, much better, and costs less in AAV.
In my mind Devers makes 350 minimum if he is a free agent. He’s just slightly worse than Vladimir Guerrero Jr
“you claim im speculating”
You claimed “people were speculating” firist. So if by people, you meant yourself, then yes.
=========
“$23M AAV”
The important number is the Luxury Tax. Thats the number that prevents teams from future moves, and the number Boston was getting rid of. San Fran is/will be paying $29,152,686 for the next 8 years.
FenwayFan:
Casas was healthy at the start of the season. Asking him to play a position that was already taken makes no sense.
They only asked him due to an emergency. Great Leaders choose to rise to occasions, So when the team ask Devers to play 1B, he said “I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” – Why is everyone shocked he got traded after that.
BPF- what in the world kind of argument is that???? his 2026 salary is just over $27m, the Sox are paying Wilson Contreras $20m for just over half the homers and about 70% of the rbi.
I understand that asking him to play first would not have made sense. And I agree Devers isn’t a saint, but they should never have said that Bregman was going to start at second base and that he could do nothing other than “DH”.
29 million per year is a steal
Hahaha, well relatively speaking
Tucker is for 4 years, Bichette is for 3 years. How many was Devers for? Isn’t it 8 more years
Everything is in the baseball sphere. It sounds ridiculous out of context, and frankly in context too
BPF- you have no idea how many players are asked to cha get positions and say no behind closed doors. The Sox ope Ed lied and then let the whole scenario play out in the media. Devers just had the balls to stand up to them
Derek Jeter refused to move off shortstop for the younger better player and tge Yankees worked it out and they won Rings. The Sox blew it in every way possible.
Sad Sox3:
You think that in all of baseball the only 2 catergories that matter are “homers and rbis”?
By your own logic, they’re paying 74% of his salary for 70% of the salary. Now add in that the Red Sox got out from under the length of that contract, and then add in the Defense. And for a bonus Devers’ ego is gone.
Moving forward under the new CBA, Devers will be overpaid in every way possible. That freed up money will allow them to move much freer in the future.
BPF – didnt know you were working on the new CBA. What else (besides making Devers overpaid) is in the new CBA that hasnt been negotiated yet?
👎
Coop how? Red Sox had to take Hicks as an albatross the Giants insisted was included.
taking on hicks’ salary was a debit item for the sox on that trade. by that standard, the sox shed the financial responsibility and came out ahead.
not suggesting i approve of the devers trade–imagine what a consistent .850 ops would do for the red sox. but we got bregman to man third, at least. oh, wait…
“consistent .850 ops”
Devers OPS his past 6 full seasons:
.916
.890
.879
.851
.871
.850
Those numbers are trending South. There’s no way he’s a “consistent .850 ops” for very long.
————
Secondly, Red Sox used his money for Anthony extension and Sonny Gray. So if they had kept him, it was Devers fading OPS minus Anthony’s contract extension and minus Gray and Ranger Suarez. Again, no thank you.
BPF – not that I mind him on the team, but Ranger Suarez was a complete panic move after the nation media relentlessly mocked Breslow for being the only team nit signing a FA
Fading? That’s a slight dip and still an elite set of numbers. All of those are over .850 too. He also have over a .900 OPS on the Red Sox last year. The argument that he was trending downwards would flip that he is trending back upwards and has plenty of time to improve since he’s still under 30
“panic move”
No it wasnt, Youre the one panicking.
Red Sox had a number for Bregman, he didnt take it, and went to Chicago, and Red Sox pivoted to Suarez. GMs that wait tend to get the best deals on FAs.
Fenway:
======
“slight dip”
I showed a 6 year pattern of declining numbers, with one outlier. Thats a trend, not a slight dip.
======
Park Factors:
Fenway: 104 – 2nd in the League
Oracle Park: 97 – 23rd in the League
He doesnt play at Fenway anymore. Which is another reason that “consistent .850 OPS” is untenable.
BPF – I had no opinion on what they did with Bregman. He signed a one-year contract here. It was always odds-against him being back.
I’m talking about trading for two SPs, then signing another the second the media coverage got a little hot. Suarez wasnt a pivot away from Bregman. The two are not correlated.
I’m not panicking at all, I’d like another infielder and a GM with a plan……
We were talking about before the trade, not talking about his impact on the Giants now were we not? And in what situation is an .850 OPS untenable? That would have been the second best on the team just slightly behind Roman Anthony
Fenway:
I see your point. .850 if he remained in Bos. I misspoke.
“untenable” means ‘impossible to maintain’. I never said its impossible, I showed a trend, which baseball types look at all the time for projections.
For example Fangraphs gives an OOPSY projection of .803 OPS. Even after park factoring back for Fenway, that wouldnt put it anywhere near .850. The trend is real, whether you want to see it or not.
Fanatic – you’re correct. Moreover, both leading up to and during that Yankees series, Devers was hitting the ball on the screws and getting a fair share of walks. obviously, his April (which was totally his fault admittedly) torpedoed his overall stats
Sad – Within 72 hours of Bregman signing with the Cubs, the Red Sox got hammered from every direction …. fans, analysts, broadcasters, writers, employees, everyone. Even Carrabis trashed the Sox.
And they have the audacity to claim going over the FIRST threshold would result in a loss. That tells you what their priority is …. hint: It’s NOT about winning.
[Sean Mcadam] “According to sources familiar with the organization’s thinking, Red Sox are OK going over the first CBT threshold, set at $244 million for 2026 — which would translate to them absorbing a modest financial loss. Anything beyond that, there’s a reluctance to incur bigger deficits.”
But they got a picture that may be as good or better than sandlin
Third, not muted. This is win win win.
Yes, they included a pitching prospect but that’s what it took because Hicks is so awful. Silver lining is Boston got a pitching prospect in return.
Gage ” somebody”
who knows what sandlin will be, but most likely he will be like the million previous prospects who never had a significant career in mlb.
With the AL Central so wide open I think the White Sox legit gotta chance.
If these moves solidifies the bullpen
The young core continues to develop
They can compete in a weak division
I know a lot of ifs but they are trying to compete
This was a pathetic trade. I remember when the Sox would take on bad contracts to to get better prospects. Now we give away prospects to get rid of salary. We used to be a big market team,but now we are a mid market team.
Hope Jordan learned he is not a starter.
Are the Chisox actually trying to win this divisio in stealth mode? Just because no one else in the division seems to be trying to improve in a significant way, doesn’t mean you should pull your big boy pants up, stick out your chin and sign Eugenio, Framber and Zach, guys. But hey, thanks for the effort.
That’s actually a solid move for the Sox. He throws pretty hard, and could work it out and become a legitimate pitcher
I know we all hope freeing up two spots on the 40 man is a sign of a bigger move to come but I feel as though I’ve been fooled in the past and it’s just another move of tinkering around with the edges of the roster. But I’d be on board with bringing on both Suarez & Valdez.
Boston is not signing Valdez, or any other FA other than maybe a $2mm journeyman. This move was all about ducking under the second LT line to preserve their place in the draft.
BTV
Hicks -$18 million
Sandlin $6 million
Cash $ 8 million
TOTAL: -$4 million
Ziehl $1 million
Slightly favors the Red hue of Sox
Hicks gets more leeway to start, probably, in Chicago than in Boston.
I’m surprised you’re quoting BTV. It’s notoriously bad and I’d place more trust in a Jim Bowden trade analysis or FG crowdsource.
YBC
“”It’s notoriously bad'”
No it’s not
“How did our model do at the 2025 deadline?
Number of trades: 64
Number accepted by the model: 57
Acceptance rate: 88%
Average value variance per deal: 3.5”
But provide your evidence for why you think it’s bad.
BoSox sent 8 million to ChiSox in deal
TRADE DETAILS
White Sox get: RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP David Sandlin (BOS No. 8 prospect), two PTBN, ChiSox gets 4 players in deal
Red Sox get: RHP Gage Ziehl (CWS No. 14 prospect), PTBN
Sandlin 6 million?
He is projected to make about 800k in 2026.
wup
“He is projected to make about 800k in 2026.”
Yes. And?
Who:
The op of this comment, the numbers arent the salaries of players.
Its the surplus or negative value the trade values website attributes to the player based on their contract, performance, and remaining control.
This was a pathetic trade. We used to be a team that would take on bad contracts to get prospects in return. Now we give away prospects to dump salary. I miss the 14 years when the Sox acted like a big market team., but now we are the St Louis Cardinals.
Context matters. This gives the RS some payroll wiggle room come the trade deadline to help stay under the second CBT threshold. With a young core, there’s no need to be in win-now mode every season.
If the cash $8M is counted towards ’26 then it saved about $4M in ’26 from Hicks plus all of ’27’s $12M.
YBC – as you say though, context matters.
Boston has a LOT of surplus pitching that is at or near MLB ready. At some point the question had to be asked, is Hicks on the 26 man roster and out in the pen an asset compared to one of those other arms taking his place.
I’d raise the question if he had a spot on the 26. He has the arm, but if ST showed us the same results as he did for us in 2025, then we’d have to cut him.
TRADE DETAILS
White Sox get: RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP David Sandlin (BOS No. 8 prospect), two PTBN, ChiSox gets 4 players in deal
Red Sox get: RHP Gage Ziehl (CWS No. 14 prospect), PTBN
If Hicks is used properly in the ‘pen the White Sox will come out OK in this. If they try to make Hicks a starter… oh my.
Now find a way to move on from Yoshida – free up the DH spot.
Thinking Yoshida might go to bc ChiSox are getting 4 players in the trade
Devers is unlikely to make the HOF unless he becomes a GG 1B
Teel would be nice to be that player to be named later 🤞🏻 doubt it but bye bye Hicks ur garbage 👎🏻👎🏻
Would be ain’t gonna happen. Keep praying, your soul might still be saved
What do you call a prison yard duck, who likes to orchestrate music?
Conductor
What do you call a woman who likes to travel over seas?
A broad
This trade makes it all the more difficult to hold onto Paez and Alberto.
Boston, in an underhanded sort of way, includes Paez in this deal and Paez is listed as the White Sox ninth best prospect at FanGraphs. If he doesnt pitch well right out of the gate, its likely that the White Sox send him back to Boston rather than waive Hicks and his big salary.
Hicks becomes the primary project in Chicago’s bullpen now. The White Sox have tightened up the roster in a way that puts more pressure on Paez and Alberto when they both likely needed the entire season to develop.
the White Sox have quietly made it a good off-season.
I get Hicks was always about dumping Devers salary. But spending $15M on Hicks’ -0.4 fWAR is irritating. I understand it was to avoid another $16M in salaries, but talk about being incongruent. It only makes sense when you factor in the surpluses in savings from the Devers salary dump.
Cleve- I agree that this is certainly annoying. For a team that constantly talks/acts about money they sure waste a lot of it.
If you added all the money that the Red Sox have wasted on giving out two year deals to SPs with an upcoming year of rehab like Paxson, Sandoval, Hendricks, Fuller, etc plus what was always going to be a one year deal with Bregman….
In hindsight, if they really wanted to dump Devers salary, they probably would’ve gotten a better deal from San Fran if they weren’t running him out of town on a rail….
In terms of this deal, I am not sure how exactly I feel. Obviously, I wanted Hicks out, but I am not sure we need to write $8m check and send out a decent prospect just to get it done. I will feel better if they reinvest the money.
But now, we lost a future trade chip, and are a mediocre bullpen arm short.
I think it all boils down to not trusting Breslow. Could we not have written a $10m check and gotten either Donovan or Jojo Romero back? I can’t understand Breslow making FIFTY trades and we still dont have a everyday 2B counted on to play 150 games?
Sad – supply, demand, and opportunity.
Show me a good 2B that was traded, the return that was accepted for him, which red sox players that BOS had at the time that were equivalent in terms of talent, control, and cost.
No cheating and saying, well, duran or abreu was a better player than the SS the trading team got back….
You can only trade for whats available, and, if the valuations of pieces match up.
My guess is youre eying Marte as the solution, either to move to 2B, or, displace Story who plays a competent 2B.
Except, nobody was willing to meet the asking price, which, says something about the asking price.
Im leaving his character issues out of this.
Breslow *did* try acquiring Grissom to do exactly what you suggest, but, it worked out as well as I said Grissom would at the time.
GASox- you are right, i neglected to think about Grissom.
Notably short of good players, second base is a tough position to fill. The Sox have set a low bar for replacement, playing Romy, Toro, Sogard and Hamilton.
So, here are second basemen that moved:
the Yankees managed to get both Jazz (for #20, #22 and a third lower ranked prospect). and Jose Caballero (a prospect outside of the top 30 yankees prospects).
Brandon Lowe was traded for a SP (Burrows) that had a similar profile to Hunter Dobbins.
Others Gavin Lux, Jeff McNeil, Marcus Semien, Ahmed Rosario, Adam Frazier
Not that any of these are someone I wouldve been advocating for (except maybe Caballero), but most of these players are better than Hamilton
Thanks for playing the game Sad, many other choose not to.
When I look at your list, and, I consider the contract cost, prospect cost, plus as you say, the mediocre in house option and the upgrade they represent from what we can source internally…
Ill give you a pass for not for focusing on the rank of prospects for some trades rather than focusing on their names, and, future value rankings.
But, some examples you cite, like Chisholm, when traded he was basically an OFer. 76 of his 400 games before the trade were as a 2B, and, most came (60) back in 2022 a year he was a 2.4 bwar player, having made his debut in the covid season. The Yankees went outside the box a bit to trade for him and his eclectic personality, hoping he’d be happy in a FT shift to 2B.
But as tou see from you list, there wasn’t a whole lot that really would’ve been worth going after, and, I think if you had, people would’ve claimed it was an overpay because boston had a pretty good farm, which means, usually those other teams want higher quality.
GASox – trying to be fair………these last few years the position has a black hole for bWAR, and also, you make a valid point concern the higher asking prices for a highly rated farm system.
Perhaps in the Devers trade, more of an effort to bring back Fitzgerald or Schmitt……
Sad – I think the key is trying to read the unspoken parts. The lack of info from the Henry/Devers meeting. I think Kennedy was there too, but, Breslow was asked to wait outside?
Henry didnt want to pay Devers to play for another team. Period. He’s made comments in the past IIRC about winding up having to pay guys to play with other teams when contracts aged badly, about being opposed to doing so in significant amounts or for significant time, and, thus the aversion to long deals for older players.
Moving 100% of Devers salary limits your return, and, also is why they had to take back hicks – its technically more palatable than straight paying Devers. At least your paying a guy on your team.
The one thing Id hope everyone can agree on is trading Devers required a green light, if not a directive from, Henry. And Id also like to think we can agree that if Henry didnt demand the trade include no outgoing cash included, that the demand from Henry was to move every last dollar possible to the acquiring team.
GaSox- oh, I 100% agree with your assertions regarding Henry’s directives. Thats what made him a billionaire in futures trading….its also what makes him unqualified to be a baseball operations executive.
It’s funny. Lately either amc or BBC America or IFC has been running Moneyball a LOT lately.
At the end, the meeting scene between Beane and Henry, I wonder if they had facts of the convo from parties involved, or, it was just prescient with the artistic liberties.
I recommend every sox fan watch that clip from so many many years ago, and, think about the seasons since in the context of what the Henry character says. Its scarily accurate to whats happened.
GaSox- yup, eerily prophetic. I’ve caught it a couple of times myself. Everyone buys into Brad Pitt, oops I mean Billy Beane, putting some rag tag “island of misfit toys” together. Did everyone forget that in addition to the moneyball strategies the A’s also had Hudson, Mulder, Zito, Dye, Chavez, Tejada?
The analytics were/are a very valuable tool. But the bottom line was/is getting the most talented players (regardless of price).
Zihel is a nice prospect, and getting rid of Hicks is good. I wonder who is the PTBNL.
teel
Teel isn’t a throw in piece. He’s a future piece for the rebuilding White Sox.
👎
The Red Sox are not signing another FA. This move was about ducking under the second luxury tax line to salvage their place in the draft.
It’s a smart move. They off loaded some dead weight.
Don’t get this one at all Hicks has not been good last few years
For the ChiSox, Sandlin is the prize. Hicks is a lottery ticket.
really, last year was his only bad year
If the Red Sox were really in on every major free agent, why do they need a salary dump after not getting any of them?
They signed Suarez. That took them over the second LT line. Strategically, this was a smart way to offload dead weight and salvage their upcoming draft slots.
If they had signed a FA with a higher AAV maybe this trade would not have been enough to get under the line. But for the right player it would have been worth it.
It’s because Hicks sucked and was paid a lot. Doesn’t matter what your payroll goals are.., you get rid of a guy like this. Get it?
They acquired Suarez, Gray & Contreras. That’s $64M.
It would have taken an incredible spring for Hicks to have broke camp on Boston’s 26 man roster.Sandlin is a nice get for the White Sox. Clearing two players off of the 40m man is a nice bonus for the Red Sox.
White Sox wrapping-up an outstanding offseason.
while no one else in the central looks like they’re trying.
Seems like Jordan Hicks will likely be a starter for the Wsox rather than a reliever.
I like this both ways. I think Sandlin is probably an RP, but a good one, with the upside of a #4 SP. And Hicks has a far higher chance of positive regression with the WS than the RS. There is some small chance that Ziehl becomes a player. But now we have $24M before we cross the 3rd line.
Yep. Boston ducks under the second LT line which gives them room to maneuver mid-season without sacrificing their slots in the draft.
They tried using Sandlin as a reliever in Worcester last year and he failed miserably.
Yes, and I think that really changed the FO’s view of him. They had previously loved his “stuff,” but when they decided to use him in the majors late in the 2025 season as a reliever, Sandlin foiled that (was that purposeful?) by his performance. After the team’s trades for starters at major and minor league levels, plus their bodacious draft, Sandlin became less valuable to the team and his prospect rating seems to not have caught up to that.
No minor league pitcher in the history of the game was intentionally bad in relief because he wanted to be a starter. They want to make the big leagues. They’re not going to sabotage that opportunity.
What you say makes a lot of sense. However, he wasn’t going to the bigs as a starter, only as a reliever. So if he doesn’t work out as a reliever, he goes back to being a starter again at the level where he already was, and if he continues performing well as a starter, he’s on course again as he would have been without the whole reliever blip. Or else, for some reason, his stuff didn’t play up and he just couldn’t do it–that’s what you’re saying.
You do remember that Devers was traded after Henry and Breslow when to see him in Kansas City during all the hubbub. The details of that meeting were not reported (not that I have seen), The result is they got Devers out of town with all of his contract (except for the Hicks return). What do you suppose happened in KC? I think Devers was intransigent in the face of ownership, probably $300MM worth of rude, and, on the way home, Henry said to CB, “Get that F and all of his contract off my team asap.” Simple as that. The Devers trade was not a baseball trade. Stop trying to grade Breslow on that transaction.
Devers trade was a Great trade obviously, red sox officially had to pay top prospects and about 3 WAR a season to get rid of him. In return sox have Kyle Harrison.
We all know what the Devers trade was about. It sucks that things fell apart like that, and while we may never know the whole story, it seems like the FO really handled the situation badly. Time will tell whether we dodged a bullet or shot our selves in the foot.
The return for Devers was never the point. Would it have been better if Hicks had become a solid rotation piece? Of course. But he didn’t, and now they’ve off-loaded his salary and salvaged their 2026 draft slots. This is a good trade for Boston.
I think a lot of commenter have never been in management.
Devers forced the red sox hand. He was insubordinate and publicly challenged management for the world (and more importantly the young elite prospects) to see.
You have two choices: leave your management neutered and have every player believing, and rightfully so, they too can ignore and be insubordinate without consequences, or, you take decisive action.
The first week or two of ST with Devers pouting would be ok. But the behavior festering for several months, and, escalating and becoming more public comments…. that was a point of no return.
When selling a distressed asset, especially one who has been publicly misbehaving… your leverage and return go way down.
All things concerned, and, the short window breslow had to make something happen, I feel he did surprisingly well
Is Hicks damaged goods?
Not damaged. Physically, he’s fine. Plus he throws major heat.
Hopefully the White Sox can corral this guy and turn him into something. He’s still young enough.
TRADE DETAILS
White Sox get: RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP David Sandlin (BOS No. 8 prospect), two PTBN, ChiSox gets 4 players in deal
Red Sox get: RHP Gage Ziehl (CWS No. 14 prospect), PTBN
More money in John Henry’s pocket
Solid fit with Cincy and a nice signing for them. Amazing how 49 dingers can get so ignored this winter. Yeah the 3B glove is below average and the whiffs are plenty and he’s in his mid-30s but bro still launches tanks with the best of em. 49-homer power doesn’t grow on trees
Time to retire
Nice move by Breslow…bring on the haters.
TRADE DETAILS
White Sox get: RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP David Sandlin (BOS No. 8 prospect), two PTBN, ChiSox gets 4 players in deal
Red Sox get: RHP Gage Ziehl (CWS No. 14 prospect), PTBN
Seems like a reasonable flyer for the White Sox to take. If Hicks catches fire he could be nice trade bait later. The pitching prospect sounds promising and hopefully the other two due are some kind of wild cards. No emotional attachment to Ziehl either. Pretty decent move.
The headline of this article should be “Boston Finds Someone to Take Hick$ Off Their Hands”
Nice work Breslow. There’s a little room now for midseason pickups and not be too far over the next LT level. Since that means so much and everything.
Bad pitcher for years
Way overpaid
Stupid signing several years ago
Really nice pickup for the white sox and honestly, hardly a issue for Boston with the return
Now do Yoshida please.
Want Tyler Oneil?
As a Giants fan who saw Hicks pitch both in the rotation and the pen, I’m hoping the ChiSox use him as a reliever. Hicks tends to run out of gas around the fourth inning when he starts, and also tends to wear out quickly as the season unfolds. Wishing him success in Chicago’s bullpen.
Salary dump., nothing more, nothing less. Sure you can sign Ranger Suarez, but have to get back under that 2nd CBT tax. Profit matters in this day and age as far as the Red Sox are concerned. No more additions without salary consideration subtractions. . I’m going to listen on radio.
Yes, it’s a salary dump … of a very bad player who was dead weight on the roster.
This is not a bad trade just based on making profit. This is a good trade that will salvage the Sox draft position in 2026 and give them room to maneuver for trades at the deadline.