MLB Rumors: Jordan Hicks Eyed by Yankees, Astros, More in Free Agency

The market for free-agent reliever Jordan Hicks is picking up with at least two American League contenders intrigued by the right-hander.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the New York Yankees and Houston Astros are among the teams interested in Hicks.

Both teams could use more depth in their bullpen going into next season. Ian Hamilton was very good for the Yankees in 2023, but his previous exposure to big-league hitters before last year consisted of 14.2 innings from 2018 to '22. He had a 4.91 ERA with almost as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (nine) during that span.

Scott Effross and Victor González have been up and down in their careers. González, in particular, has been trending in the wrong direction since posting a 1.33 ERA with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. He had a 4.01 ERA last season after an elbow injury kept him for the entire 2022 campaign.

The Astros are likely going to be relying on pitchers like Rafael Montero, Ronel Blanco, José Urquidy and Bennett Sousa in the middle innings. Montero has as many seasons (two) with an ERA under 3.00 as he does over 5.00 since 2019.

This isn't to suggest that Hicks would be definitively better than any of those pitchers. He can be as volatile as anyone in MLB on a per-appearance basis. The 27-year-old has impressive velocity with a fastball that averaged 100.2 mph last season.

As long as Hicks is throwing strikes, he can be difficult for opposing hitters to square up. The issue throughout his career has been command. He's averaged 4.9 walks per nine innings in five seasons.

Last season was a perfect microcosm of the Hicks experience. His 3.67 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals was respectable, but he allowed 63 combined hits and walks in 41.2 innings.

After being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, Hicks' ERA dropped to 2.63 and his WHIP was 1.08 in 24 innings.

Hicks is likely going to be a low-cost free agent with tremendous upside for whichever team signs him.