Angels Outright Kaleb Ort
The Angels announced Monday that right-handed reliever Kaleb Ort passed through waivers unclaimed following his recent DFA. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s never been outrighted before and has fewer than three years of major league service time (2.108), so he’ll remain with the Angels as a depth option in Salt Lake.
The 34-year-old Ort made his big league debut with the Red Sox back in 2021 and has logged time in each of the five seasons since. He’s spent the past two as a member of the division-rival Astros. Ort pitched well for the ‘Stros in 2024 and was shakier in 2025, but his overall numbers with Houston are respectable: combined 4.08 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 38.2% ground-ball rate in 70 2/3 frames.
The hard-throwing Ort has averaged 96.8 mph on his four-seamer in that time and notched a strong 12.6% swinging-strike rate, generating plenty of whiffs with his slider, in particular. In addition to a walk rate that’s a bit heavy, Ort has been far too homer-prone. Opponents have tagged him for 25 homers in just 122 1/3 career innings in the majors (1.84 HR.9), including 15 dingers across the past two seasons in Houston (1.91 HR/9).
Ort is out of minor league options, which likely contributed to him going unclaimed on waivers. If the Angels select him back to the 40-man roster at any point, he’ll need to stay in the majors or else be designated for assignment and placed on waivers once again. At that point, even if Ort were to clear, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment to a minor league affiliate in favor of free agency, thanks to being outrighted this morning.
Red Sox Notes: Infield, Gonzalez, Abreu
This morning’s surprise acquisition of Caleb Durbin in a six-player trade with the Brewers gave the Red Sox the additional infielder they’ve been coveting but also created questions about the infield alignment. Durbin can play both second base and third base. Both positions are generally unsettled for the Red Sox.
Manager Alex Cora touched on the matter in his first media session of spring, indicating that for the time being, the team isn’t going to commit to one defensive setup just yet (link via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe). Each of Durbin, touted prospect Marcelo Mayer and veteran utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa can play either second base or third base.
The situation is further muddied by the fact that infielder Romy Gonzalez is behind schedule due to a shoulder issue that bothered him throughout the offseason (links via MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and the Globe’s Tim Healey). Gonzalez suffered the injury in Boston’s 160th game of the season. He rested it and rehabbed it throughout the winter and believed the issue to be behind him but instead aggravated it when starting a hitting program last month. He’s since received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is aiming to be ready for Opening Day, but that’ll depend on how his shoulder progresses (or does not progress) during the Grapefruit League schedule.
Whether at second base or third base, Durbin figures to be in the lineup every day. He’s a fine defender at either position and had relatively neutral platoon splits in 2025. Neither he nor Mayer will work at shortstop, per Cora. Trevor Story was always going to get the majority of reps there, but it seems Kiner-Falefa is the primary backup at the moment. If both Story and Kiner-Falefa were to go down with an injury, perhaps the Sox would rethink utilizing Mayer and/or Durbin there, but that’s not in the cards for the time being.
Ideally, Gonzalez would be healthy enough to take regular at-bats against left-handed pitching. He decimated southpaws at a .331/.378/.600 clip in 2025 and owns a lifetime .302/.345/.527 slash against them. Against lefties, the Sox could theoretically go with Gonzalez at second base and Durbin at third base, then switch to a combination of Mayer and Durbin against right-handed opponents. Mayer hit .260/.333/.462 against righties in 2025 (majors and minors combined) but just .230/.260/.378 against left-handers.
Utilitymen Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, both acquired alongside Durbin, could both factor into the mix as well. Monasterio swings from the right side of the plate and can play all four infield positions. Seigler is a lefty-swinging catcher/infielder who’s played far more second base than catcher in recent seasons. It’s a long shot that either would claim a starting role, but both will be in the mix for bench jobs.
There are still questions in the outfield as well. Much has been made of Boston’s outfield group, which consists of Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and, to a lesser extent, Masataka Yoshida. There are more bodies than at-bats to go around. Cora plainly said today that the Red Sox view Abreu as an everyday player and plan to get him at-bats against both lefties and righties (via MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). They want to keep Rafaela in the outfield as often as possible, too, due to his superlative center field defense.
That’s a departure from the manner in which Abreu has been deployed in the past. The 26-year-old has logged just 145 of his 849 major league plate appearances against lefties (17%) and turned in a bleak .205/.271/.318 slash in that time. A poor spring showing could always change that plan, but it’d be a notable role change for Abreu. If he can improve to even passable but below-average output against southpaws with more exposure, it’d be a boon for the Sox on the defensive side of things, given that Abreu grades out as one of the better right fielders in the game.
If both Rafaela and Abreu are in the outfield most days, that leaves Duran, Anthony and Yoshida in the mix for left field and DH work. Presumably, the bulk of that time will go to Duran and Anthony. Both are superior defenders to Yoshida, and both have performed better at the plate as well.
Yoshida remains a square peg for the Sox’ roster, but he’s owed $36MM over the next two seasons and no team is taking on that sum (or even a notable portion of it). The former NPB star hit .266 last year but with a paltry .307 on-base percentage and just a .388 slugging percentage. By measure of wRC+, he was 12% worse than average at the plate. The Sox could still try to find him some occasional at-bats against right-handed pitching. He’s a career .295/.345/.451 hitter in those spots but has hit lefties at only a .237/.310/.340 pace since coming to MLB. In 755 innings in left field, he’s been dinged for negative marks by both Defensive Runs Saved (-4) and Outs Above Average (-8).
Yankees To Designate Yanquiel Fernandez For Assignment
The Yankees are designating outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez for assignment just five days after claiming him off waivers from the Rockies, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. The team hasn’t announced the move or a corresponding transaction, but they still need to open a roster spot to make their reported re-signing of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt official, and this DFA would accomplish that.
Fernandez turned 23 on New Year’s Day but has already exhausted two of his three minor league option years. He made his major league debut with the Rockies this past season but hit just .225/.265/.348 with a 30% strikeout rate in 147 trips to the batter’s box. Fernandez has struggled in parts of two Triple-A seasons as well, hitting a combined .259/.320/.437 through 409 plate appearances despite very hitter-friendly environments.
In the 2023-24 offseason, Fernandez landed on the back end of top-100 lists at Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus. At the time, he was coming off a .265/.313/.486 showing with 25 home runs in 521 plate appearances across three levels, topping out as a 20-year-old in Double-A. Given that power output and his youth relative to the competition he was facing at the time, Fernandez was seen as a potential power-over-hit corner outfielder with a plus-plus throwing arm. A future as an everyday right fielder seemed attainable, but his aggressive approach and lack of plate discipline have hindered the final stages of his offensive development.
The Yankees will surely hope to pass Fernandez through waivers and retain him as depth. The majority of MLB clearly already passed on claiming Fernandez once, given that the Yankees are 27th in offseason waiver priority (which is based on the reverse order of the prior season’s standings). However, with pitchers and catchers now beginning to report to camp and the 60-day IL becoming available to other clubs, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if another club used some of that newfound roster flexibility to place a claim and take what’d basically be a free spring training look at the former top prospect. The Yankees can place Fernandez on waivers or trade him at any point in the next five days.
Twins, Gio Urshela Agree To Minor League Deal
The Twins are bringing back old friend Gio Urshela on a minor league deal, reports Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base. Urshela, a client of Premier Talent Sports, will be in camp as non-roster invitee and compete for a spot in a crowded infield mix.
Urshela spent the 2022 season in Minnesota after coming over alongside Gary Sánchez in the trade that saw the Twins dump Josh Donaldson‘s contract on the Yankees. He enjoyed one of his best seasons with the Twins, hitting .285/.338/.429 (118 wRC+) with 13 home runs, 27 doubles and three triples. It proved to be just a one-year pairing, however, as the Twins flipped Urshela to the Angels that offseason (receiving minor league pitcher Alejandro Hidalgo) in order to open some playing time for their bevy of young infielders.
It’s been a rocky ride for the now-34-year-old Urshela since leaving Minnesota. He hit for a high average but with no power in two months with the Angels (.299/.329/.374) before suffering a fracture in his pelvis that required season-ending surgery. In parts of two seasons since that uncommon injury, he’s batted .246/.287/.351 (77 wRC+) in 658 trips to the batter’s box.
Now back with the Twins, Urshela provides some depth around an infield that’s full of question marks. Third baseman Royce Lewis has flashed superstar potential at various points in his career, but the former No. 1 overall draft pick has been beset by injuries and is coming off an ugly .237/.283/.388 showing in a career-high 403 plate appearances.
That’s the primary spot at which Urshela could hope to factor in. He has experience at shortstop, first base and second base as well, but it’s hard to imagine him returning to short for any meaningful amount of time at age 34 and with that pelvic injury now in his history. He logged two games at first base for the A’s in 2025 and would, at best, be fourth on the depth chart there for the Twins. Urshela has only 28 career innings at second base — five of them coming in 2023 and the other 23 coming way back in 2017.
There’s little harm bringing back a well-liked veteran for the Twins, but Urshela appears to face an uphill battle to grab a roster spot. He doesn’t have the defensive versatility he once did, and his bat has never gotten back on track following that 2023 injury. Still, given the frequency with which Lewis has been injured, there’s some sense in stashing a respected veteran backup.
Pirates, Red Sox Among Teams Interested In Isaac Paredes
The Pirates and Red Sox are two of “at least five teams” discussing Isaac Paredes in trade talks with the Astros, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal. This is the first time Pittsburgh has been linked to Paredes, though the two-time All-Star has been known to be a Red Sox target for much of the winter.
Boston’s quest for infield help has been one of their primary offseason storylines, with such names as Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Ketel Marte, Eugenio Suarez, Nico Hoerner, Brendan Donovan and many others reportedly considered as free agent or trade targets. In Donovan’s case, Rome and Rosenthal report that the Sox had some negotiations with the Astros and Cardinals about a three-team trade that would’ve sent Paredes to Boston, Donovan to Houston, and presumably a multi-player prospect package to the rebuilding Cardinals.
Instead, St. Louis opted for another three-team trade with the Mariners and Rays, with Donovan landing in Seattle. The breakdown of what the Cardinals might’ve gotten from the Astros or Red Sox isn’t known, but the Donovan deal with Tampa and the M’s netted St. Louis a recent first-round pitching prospect (Jurrangelo Cijntje), two other prospects (Tai Peete, Colton Ledbetter) and two 2026 draft picks from Competitive Balance Round B. The CBR picks are the only types of draft picks that can be traded, so the fact that the Rays and Mariners had such available selections and the Sox and Astros didn’t could have quite possibly been a factor in the Cards’ decision to accept that deal over the other three-team proposal.
Had the Cardinals been amenable to what the Red Sox and Astros offered, the deal would’ve checked off a couple of major boxes for the two AL teams. Paredes would’ve stepped right in as Boston’s everyday third baseman, adding right-handed balance to the Sox lineup and moving Marcelo Mayer into the unsettled second base mix. Donovan is known for his multi-positional versatility, but he would’ve likely been Houston’s everyday left fielder, with the Astros starting infield then settling as Carlos Correa at third base, Jeremy Pena at shortstop, Jose Altuve at second base, and Christian Walker at first base. Yordan Alvarez is set for regular DH at-bats and neither Alvarez or Altuve are well-suited to left field work, so having Paredes in the fold creates something of a logjam for playing time if everyone is healthy.
Houston GM Dana Brown has repeatedly said that the Astros are fine with their infield situation, though this could be some gamesmanship at play, as recent reports suggested that the Astros may indeed still be looking to deal from their infield surplus. Rome and Rosenthal write that Paredes and Walker are both being floated in trade discussions, and “Paredes is more likely to be dealt than Walker, whose cumbersome contract and limited no-trade clause make it more difficult to move him.”
The three-year, $60MM free agent deal Walker signed last winter contains a six-team no-trade clause. Beyond the money and the no-trade protection, Walker is also entering his age-35 season, and he hit only .238/.297/.421 over 640 plate appearances (translating to a 99 wRC+) in his first season in Houston. Paredes missed almost two months of the 2025 season due to a hamstring injury but was terrific when he did play, batting .254/.352/.458 across 438 PA.
It isn’t an ideal situation for the Astros that one of their better and less-expensive players might be their most logical trade candidate. However, because Houston’s other infielders seem less likely to be moved for a variety of reasons, dealing Paredes might be the best way for Houston to both alleviate the infield surplus, and add a much-needed left-handed bat to the outfield.
As Rome and Rosenthal note, the most obvious way for the Astros and Red Sox to address their twin needs would simply be to make a deal with each other, since Boston has a plethora of left-handed hitting outfielders. Jarren Duran has been viewed as the outfielder the Sox may be most willing to move, though Rome/Rosenthal write that the Astros prefer Wilyer Abreu over Duran, in part because of price. Abreu doesn’t reach arbitration eligibility until next winter, while Duran is making $7.7MM in 2026 and his salaries will continue to rise over his remaining two arb years.
It remains to be seen if the Astros and Red Sox could finally line up on a deal themselves, or if perhaps another third party could get involved to help facilitate a trade. There’s also the possibility that Houston could move Paredes elsewhere entirely, given the widespread interest in his services.
The Pirates and Astros already joined forces on a prominent trade back in December, when the two clubs and the Rays engaged in a three-team swap. The Buccos traded from their rotation depth in moving Mike Burrows to Houston in that deal, while Pittsburgh bolstered its lineup by acquiring Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum. Between that trade, the Ryan O’Hearn signing, and the deal with the Red Sox that brought Jhostynxon Garcia into the outfield picture, the Pirates have made a priority of adding some much-needed hitting help to the roster.
Landing Paredes would arguably be the biggest move of all for the Pirates’ offense, and it would fill a hole at third base. Jared Triolo is Pittsburgh’s projected starter at the hot corner, and while Triolo is a plus defender, he has hit only .221/.303/.334 over his last 822 PA in 2024-25. In terms of how the Bucs could meet Houston’s needs, the Pirates have multiple outfielders who are either lefty swingers or switch-hitters, yet none seem like exactly a fit. Oneil Cruz likely isn’t going anywhere, Bryan Reynolds is probably too pricey for the Astros, and neither Mangum or Jack Suwinski would provide clear offensive help.
What other teams could speculatively be in on Paredes? Many contenders are already set at the corner infield slots, though if Paredes is viewed as an upgrade over an incumbent, a deal could be swung with a third team involved. On paper, the Brewers, Tigers, Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Athletics stand out as contenders or would-be contenders who could stand to improve at at least one of the first or third base positions.
Rays Hire Joe Hudson, Beau Sulser In Player Development Roles
The Rays have hired Joe Hudson and Beau Sulser to the team’s player development ranks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The hirings presumably indicate that Hudson and Sulser have ended their playing careers.
Hudson began his pro career as a sixth-round pick for the Reds in the 2012 draft, and his MLB career consisted of 19 games over parts of four seasons. The catcher suited up for the Angels, Cardinals, and Mariners during the 2018-20 seasons, and after three full years in the minors, Hudson returned to the Show for a single appearance with the Mets during the 2024 campaign. Over Hudson’s 33 plate appearances, he hit .167/.219/.200 with one double and one RBI.
Beyond the four teams Hudson played with at the Major League level, he played for several other organizations in the minors, including the 2022 season spent with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham. It is fair to assume Hudson made a good impression on Rays officials during that season, resulting in this new role now that Hudson has decided to hang up the cleats at age 34.
Sulser never played for Tampa during his 12 pro seasons, though there is a family connection by way of his older brother Cole, who is in his second stint in a Rays uniform. Beau was a 10th-round pick for the Pirates in the 2017 draft, and the right-hander spent the majority of his career with Pittsburgh over four different stints with the organization.
Sulser’s only taste of the majors came in 2022, when he tossed 22 1/3 innings across 10 appearances with the Pirates and Orioles. Sulser had a 3.63 ERA over that cup of coffee in the Show, as well as a 4.47 ERA across 485 1/3 innings in the affiliated minor leagues. The 31-year-old’s career also includes three stops overseas, as Sulser pitched in the Australian Baseball League (in 2020), the KBO League (in 2023), and the Chinese Professional Baseball League (last season).
Injury Notes: McClanahan, Canning, Kemp
Rays fans have been waiting two years to see Shane McClanahan on a big-league mound. The electric lefty missed all of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, then lost another season to a nerve issue in his triceps. McClanahan is on track to be ready for the 2026 campaign, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, though the southpaw will likely have his workload capped in some fashion.
McClanahan was solid in his 2021 debut, then morphed into an AL Cy Young candidate the following season. He put together 28 starts of a 2.54 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning in 2022. McClanahan capped off the year with a strong start against the Guardians in the Wild Card round. He tossed seven innings of two-run ball, but was outdueled by Shane Bieber.
Even if he faces some sort of innings limit, adding McClanahan back to the rotation will be a welcome sight for a depleted Rays staff. Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot sit atop the group, but the certainties end there. Shane Baz tied for the team lead with 31 starts last season, but he is now pitching in Baltimore. Veterans Zack Littell and Adrian Houser are no longer in the organization. Taj Bradley was sent to Minnesota at the trade deadline. Joe Boyle, free agent signee Steven Matz, and trade acquisition Yoendrys Gomez are candidates to fill out the rotation, and Littell could also potentially come back in free agency.
Griffin Canning is recovering from his own major injury. The free agent right-hander is working his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered with the Mets last season. Canning threw for interested teams on Friday and hit 93 mph on the radar gun, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
The Cardinals, White Sox, and Mets have been mentioned as possible destinations for Canning. The veteran was putting together a strong campaign before going down in June. Canning had a career-best 3.77 ERA through 16 starts after signing a modest one-year, $4.25MM deal with New York. He ramped up his slider usage while tweaking the characteristics of the pitch with his new team, and Canning added more than three inches of vertical drop and 1.5 inches of horizontal movement to his primary breaking ball. He also made adjustments to his changeup. The tweaks helped Canning regain some of the strikeout ability he lost in his final season with the Angels.
On the position player side, utilityman Otto Kemp is expected to be a full go for the upcoming season. Kemp fractured his kneecap less than two weeks after getting called up last year. He played through the injury for the rest of the campaign. Kemp underwent offseason surgery to fix the issue and also had a cleanup procedure done on his shoulder. He told NBC Sports Philadelphia in an interview that he’s bouncing back well from the operations.
“Feeling back to 100%, which is awesome,” Kemp said. “It’s refreshing to feel that way after playing a lot of baseball banged up.”
The now 26-year-old provided some pop in his first taste of the big leagues, hitting eight home runs in 62 games. He finished with a .411 SLG, though it came with a strikeout rate above 30%. Kemp is among the internal options to compete for platoon work alongside Brandon Marsh in the outfield.
T.R. Sullivan: A Retrospective On The Harold Baines-Sammy Sosa Trade
T.R. Sullivan was a legend on the Rangers beat. He retired in December 2020 after 32 years writing for the Denison Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and MLB.com. T.R. is also a friend to MLBTR. A couple of months ago, he kindly offered up a retrospective on the Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas trade. “I just felt like writing it,” T.R. explained. More recently, Texas got shut down by a snowstorm, which T.R. took as an opportunity to explore the 1989 trade involving Harold Baines, Sammy Sosa and others. We’re proud to publish it!
Texas Gov. George W. Bush was in the middle of an ultimately successful run for the White House in 2000 when he made a guest appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
At one point, they started talking about Bush’s biggest mistakes, the ones he really regretted.
“Well,” Bush said with a sly smile. “I once traded away Sammy Sosa.”
The line got big laughs from the audience – coming at the height of Sosa’s career as a power-hitting outfielder – but probably not as much from Rangers fans watching at home in Texas. Bush’s twin daughters Jenna and Barbara probably weren’t amused either considering the same trade also involved Rangers shortstop Scott Fletcher.
The veteran infielder just happened to be their favorite player. They named their dog “Spot” in his honor.
The reality is Bush did not make that trade. True, he was the Rangers co-managing general partner in 1989 when Sosa, Fletcher and pitcher Wilson Álvarez were traded to the White Sox for outfielder Harold Baines and infielder Fred Manrique.
But the guy who made the trade was general manager Tom Grieve, who many years later would confess, “The minute I made that trade I knew it was a mistake. We made the deal for all the wrong reasons.”
The guy on the other end of the deal was White Sox GM Larry Himes, who would later hold the same position with the Cubs. In both jobs, Himes pulled off a trade that involved acquiring Sosa for a veteran All-Star designated hitter.
The first trade was not a popular one with White Sox fans at the time.
“It’s an unpopular decision as far as the fans are concerned…it doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good decision,” Himes said in the Chicago Tribune.
The Rangers-White Sox trade came down on July 29, 1989. At the time, the Rangers were trying to stay alive in the A.L West race and the White Sox were in a rebuilding mode. It was a classic mid-season trade, just like hundreds of others that are made or at least talked about at the trade deadline down through the years.
But this trade turned out different. This is the trade that wouldn’t go away. Instead, as the years passed, it really did take on a life of its own with a bewildering number of twists and turns involving implications felt from the White House and halls of Congress to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
In short, the trade involved a future member of the Hall of Fame, but not the one everybody expected, the one who ended up having to testify in front of Congress on national television at the height of baseball’s steroids scandal.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- Seems like a normal, quiet Sunday evening with nothing going on. What better time to talk some baseball during the Weekend Chat?!
BPballknower
- Sounds like the carousel of trade rumors between Astros and Red Sox are heating up finally. Do they need a 3rd team to finally get it done?
Mark P
- I would think the two teams would be able to work some kind of multi-player deal (involving Paredes and one of Abreu/Duran as the primaries) that addresses everyone’s issues. Involving a third team might help, or might just complicate things further.
Brockmire
- Who ya got in the Big Pigskin Gamaroonie?
Mark P
- Indiana/Miami was a few weeks ago, and the CFL doesn’t start for several months yet. What other football game could you possibly mean?
Jays Fan
- Do the jays make a consolidation trade before opening day? Always thought they’d turn their surplus (Schneider, Loperfido) for someone like Jo Jo Romero
Mark P
- This seems possible, since I find it hard to believe Romero will still be a Cardinal by Opening Day. But, the Jays might value having all of their depth back, since in my view there’s a lot of uncertainty over how many of their players will be able to replicate their 2025 numbers
Acuña
- Will the Braves extend my contract this year?
Mark P
- Atlanta holds $17MM club options on Acuna for both 2027 and 2028. There’s probably no rush to work out an extension just yet, plus the Braves would likely want to see Acuna deliver a full and healthy season before discussing a longer agreement.
Giants
- Any chances that Posey pulls something else off to complete the offseason? I feel like he fixed some holes in the roster but could still use some help, especially on the pitching side. Maybe trade for a solid reliever (JoJo Romero) or free agent (Danny Coulombe) or hunt down one of the starters remaining on a lesser deal (Gallen, etc). It can’t be enough on the pitching side for them for sure, in my opinion, and do you think Posey has a strategy to wait out the market for some prices to drop?
Mark P
- With the lineup more or less set, any remaining Giants moves will surely come on the pitching end. The bullpen adds you suggest make sense, and I’d prefer Gallen over any of the SF starters beyond the big two.
Yordan Alvarez
- I break my hand and everyone forgets I am a top 5 hitter in the league
Mark P
- I feel like I’ve written this before, but Alvarez in my view is one of the more underrated players in the league. Despite posting borderline-HOF numbers for a perennial contender, Alvarez seems to be frequently overlooked when discussing the game’s best hitters
Examining Jordan Hicks’ Future With The White Sox
The White Sox acquired right-hander Jordan Hicks as little more than a financial chip, allowing the Red Sox to trim payroll for the price of an intriguing prospect. Boston escaped from $16MM of the $24MM they owed the veteran through 2027. To facilitate the maneuver, the Red Sox sent over right-hander David Sandlin, who immediately slotted in as a top 10 prospect in Chicago’s system, per FanGraphs.
It’s a solid piece of business for an organization with ample payroll flexibility. Even after adding Hicks, Austin Hays, and Seranthony Dominguez, the White Sox project to have the fourth-lowest payroll in the league. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool has the club at $86MM, right in line with the $85MM it spent last season.
So where does that leave Hicks? He struggled with the Giants last season and was even worse when he came to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade. The starter experience went well with San Francisco early in 2024, but has since looked like an ill-advised path. Hicks is now two years and three franchises removed from being a dominant reliever. He joins a Chicago roster with little in the way of talent and experience in the bullpen.
Hicks debuted with the Cardinals in 2018. He quickly gained notoriety for a 100-mph sinker that generated just as many cool GIFs as it did broken bats. Harnessing the pitch was an issue, as Hicks recorded a bloated 13.3% walk rate in his first MLB stint. He opened the 2019 campaign as the primary closer, but a UCL tear ended his season in June. The injury would kick off a lengthy stretch marred by health concerns. Hicks missed time over the next four years with elbow, forearm, neck, and arm fatigue issues.
St. Louis got a healthy first half out of Hicks in 2023 and used the opportunity to deal him to Toronto. He was solid with the Blue Jays, mostly setting up for incumbent closer Jordan Romano. Hicks landed a decent four-year, $44MM commitment from the Giants that offseason. He earned a spot in the rotation, and the transition initially went swimmingly. Hicks allowed two earned runs or fewer in his first seven starts with San Francisco. He expanded the usage of his secondaries while trimming his velocity to a more sustainable level.
Hicks trended down after the solid first month as a starter. His fastball steadily lost ticks as the innings piled up. After allowing 12 runs across 13 innings to open July, Hicks was booted from the rotation. He was given another shot as a starter this past season, but it went even worse. Hicks was strictly a reliever once he joined the Red Sox.
It seems pretty clear from the past two years of results that Hicks’ lone path to big-league viability is as a reliever. That’s where the Chicago front office landed after bringing him in.
“At its floor, we have a guy who can really help us in the bullpen, get him back on track, being that he’s been kind of back and forth on different roles, a couple of different stops along the way,” general manager Chris Getz told reporters, including Scott Merkin of MLB.com. “I think the White Sox are at [their] best if he’s at his best in the bullpen.”
The run prevention results were bad (8.20 ERA), but Hicks posted a strong 111 Stuff+ in 18 2/3 innings out of the Boston bullpen. His sinker and slider were at 115 and 117, respectively. Hicks’ four-seamer and splitter graded out poorly, though he used them infrequently.
“Our stuff grades, both metrically and our scouting evaluations, are still really strong,” Getz said. “There’s likely some tweaking that can go with his arsenal … It sounds like it’s in a really good spot … We think he’s a guy that is not too far off from being the guy he once was.”
Chicago has gone three straight seasons without a reliever securing double-digit saves. Liam Hendriks was the last to do it, with 37 in 2022. Jordan Leasure paced the team with seven saves in 2025. Grant Taylor and Mike Vasil combined to close out 10 games. Leasure, Taylor, and Vasil should remain in the late-inning mix. Dominguez will likely be the closer to start the year, but he’s a candidate to get moved at the trade deadline if he performs well.
Hicks should get the chance to work his way into high-leverage spots. A Dominguez trade would open the door for a two-month trial as the closer. Hicks will be under contract for $12MM in 2027. He could serve as an affordable stopper next season. There are several “ifs” and “coulds” in that scenario, but for his part, Hicks sounds ready to return to a prominent role. He told reporters that he hit 99.5 mph in a recent bullpen session. The reliever added that he wasn’t sore the next day after sitting in the upper 90s during the outing.
“That’s telling me that my body’s in a good place,” Hicks said.