This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BOSTON -- It was mid-January in 2024 and then-free agent Jordan Hicks was starting to envision what he might look like wearing the uniform of the Boston Red Sox.
But the business of free agency can twist and turn, and Hicks became a San Francisco Giant after signing a four-year, $44 million contract.
The trade market can be even more unpredictable than free agency, and Hicks learned that two weeks ago when the Giants traded him to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade that stunned the baseball world.
WIth Number 46 on his back, the hard-throwing righty is likely to be activated for the opener of Monday’s three-game series against the Reds at Fenway Park, putting him in position to debut for the team he came close to signing with 17 months ago.
While Hicks was recovering from right toe inflammation that sidelined him on June 1, he certainly didn’t expect to be part of a package for one of the most impactful hitters in baseball. In fact, he didn’t even know he was eligible to get dealt.
“I was a little bit surprised. I didn't even know you can get traded on the IL,” Hicks said. “But besides that, I was just really excited to hear that it was to a team that was pursuing me in free agency, and I get to be a part of a young squad, and I'm just really excited to play for this historic organization.”
What does Hicks remember about Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s pursuit of him in the months leading up to the ‘24 season?
“I just remember they came after me pretty hard, and they were in on me, and it was between them and the Giants,” Hicks said. “So I'm just excited to be here and feel wanted.”
What impressed him when he got to take a peek behind Boston’s pitching curtain?
“Just overall, how in depth they go into the pitching side of things, the metrics and just how much they wanted to have me here,” Hicks said. “I feel like I'm really excited to be a part of the bullpen and see what I can bring.”
When the Giants signed Hicks, it was with the idea of turning him into a starter. While he had his ups and downs in that role, the 28-year-old looks forward to returning to the late-inning, high-leverage role he’s had the most success at in his career.
And if things go as planned, Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman won’t be the only home pitcher forcing a third digit on the Fenway Park radar gun.
“Yeah, for me, I'm excited for the opportunity. Kind of got to try out the starting thing. Would have liked a longer leash [doing that],” said Hicks. “But at the same time, I'm excited to help the team anyway I can. I know what I can bring to the table. I just needed a little adjustment period coming from starter [back to reliever]. So it was a good IL stint in that aspect. I feel like I'm really just coming back to bullpen form, bullpen shape."
Hicks remembers well the way the ball flew out of his hand in his last full season as a reliever with the ‘23 Cardinals and Blue Jays.
“Obviously, my last year of full-time relief, I think I got up to 103 [mph] in the playoffs the last game of the season,” Hicks said. “So I've gotten up to 101 this year as a starter, and sat pretty much like 97-98. I'm optimistic that it's in there. And I even cramped up in my last outing, just getting back into my old mechanics. I feel like I'm using things I hadn't used in a while. And it was still coming out 100, so I didn't expect to see that.”
Under the tutelage of Boston’s pitching group, Hicks is working to firm up his slider.
“It was definitely a suggestion from the Red Sox and I was in agreement that I needed a firmer slider to match with a harder fastball,” Hicks said. “So I’m kind of getting away from the sweeper. I mean, it's always in the back pocket, depending on the guy, obviously playing with those two grips right now, but the focus is the harder slider.”