The Chicago White Sox continued their active offseason after the conclusion of Soxfest, with the acquisition of right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks from the Boston Red Sox. Along with Hicks comes RHP prospect David Sandlin and $8 million to help pay for Hicks’ remaining salary. The White Sox will send RHP Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later to Boston to complete the trade.
Hicks, 29, spent the first four and a half seasons of his career with the St Louis Cardinals, where he emerged as a solid late-inning reliever. A strong season in 2023 led to a deadline trade to the Toronto Blue Jays, and Hicks hit free agency following the 2023 season. He signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, who intended to turn him into a starter for 2024. Hicks made 20 starts and 29 appearances while posting a 4.10 ERA with the Giants in 2024. He struggled to begin the 2025 season and was sent to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade. Hicks’ struggles continued in 21 games in the Red Sox bullpen to finish out 2025, so the White Sox will be looking at a reclamation arm joining their staff. For Boston, it's a pure salary dump, and the White Sox will owe Hicks $16 million over the final two years of his deal.
2026 roles for new White Sox pitchers Hicks and Sandlin are not yet clear
At his best, Hicks features an upper-90s fastball with sink, a mid-80s sweeper, and a seldom-used slider and splitter. As a starter, he increased the use of his splitter and his fastball sat closer to 94-95 then when it frequently touched triple-digits. He leaned more on ground balls than strikeouts as a starter, and he’s lost a bit of his control the past couple seasons. At this point, it’s unclear whether Hicks will be in the rotation for the White Sox or move back to the bullpen where he was at his best. The White Sox could certainly use another starter, but Hicks’ history suggests he may be better suited for a relier role.
David Sandlin, who will turn 25 in February, ended the year ranked Boston’s #8 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 list. He’s both started and worked in relief in the minor leagues, though Sox Machine’s James Fegan indicated the White Sox see him as a starting pitcher. He’s likely to begin the season with Triple-A, but could be in line for his big league debut at some point in 2026.
Source confirms White Sox are getting RHPs Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin from Red Sox in exchange for prospect Gage Ziehl and a PTBNL. Sox using some of freed up LRJ money to take on portion of Hicks’ contract and get a prospect they think can start. First: @JeffPassan
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) February 1, 2026
The White Sox acquired RHP Gage Ziehl in the trade that sent OF Austin Slater to the Yankees at the trade deadline, so the White Sox essentially turned Slater in to Hicks and Sandlin here. Ziehl started six games for High-A Winston-Salem last season, posting a 4.01 ERA in 24.2 innings.
In my opinion, Hicks is a fine bounce-back candidate that the White Sox can afford to take on due to their low payroll. He doesn’t, however, fill the White Sox need for a reliable veteran starting pitcher. The White Sox should put Hicks in the bullpen to add another flamethrowing late-inning option. We’ll see if Chris Getz and the White Sox staff feel the same way.