MLB Rumors: Jordan Hicks, Giants Agree to 4-Year, $44M Contract amid Yankees Buzz

Jordan Hicks is heading to San Francisco.

The right-handed pitcher and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract in free agency, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. After spending the majority of his career as a reliever, Hicks is expected to be a starter in San Francisco, Passan added.

The New York Yankees and Houston Astros had been linked to Hicks before his deal with the Giants.

The 27-year-old spent the 2023 season split between the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays. The Cardinals traded him to Toronto in July ahead of the deadline in exchange for minor leaguers.

Hicks appeared in 40 games for the Cardinals in 2023, going 1-6 with a 3.67 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. He appeared in 25 games for the Blue Jays, posting a 2-3 record, 2.63 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 24 innings.

Hicks spent the first five and a half seasons of his career in St. Louis, though he opted out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

During the 2022 season, Hicks started eight games, posting an 0-4 record with a 5.47 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.

While Hicks doesn't have a great track record as a starter, eight games certainly isn't a large enough sample size to rule him out of a role in the rotation. Additionally, the Giants are in need of pitching depth entering the 2024 campaign.

Hicks will join a rotation that includes Logan Webb, Ross Stripling, Kyle Harrison and Robbie Ray.

The Giants are aiming to rebound from a 79-83 finish to the 2023 season, though the franchise's main goal is to build a legitimate playoff contender after missing the postseason in six of the last seven seasons.

Hicks is a solid addition, and San Francisco could also add some more talent to its rotation this winter. The franchise has been linked to two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and former Texas Rangers pitcher Jordan Montgomery.