White Sox GM Chris Getz sheds light on how he plans to use hard-throwing right-hander Jordan Hicks following a trade with Boston.
The news broke over the weekend. The Chicago White Sox acquired right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, swapping right-handed pitching prospects in the process.
The first question that immediately came to mind was what role Hicks will play for the White Sox in 2026.
This is a pitcher who was once a feared late-inning reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals, pumping 104-mph sinkers—the kind of stuff that’s tailor-made for a bullpen and simply can’t be taught.
Hicks originally came up through the Cardinals’ system as a starting pitching prospect, and while St. Louis occasionally experimented with him in that role as a big leaguer in an effort to maximize his value, it became clear fairly quickly that his true home was in the bullpen. The results spoke for themselves.
Then, at the start of the 2024 season, the San Francisco Giants had other ideas. Hicks signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the Giants—a massive deal for a reliever—but one the organization hoped would become a bargain by converting him into a full-time starting pitcher.
That experiment didn’t quite pan out. Hicks posted a 4.83 ERA with the Giants before being sent to the Boston Red Sox in the Rafael Devers trade during the 2025 season.
While Hicks did return to the bullpen in Boston, his 8.20 ERA raised legitimate questions about his future and which role best suits him moving forward.
Even with Boston eating part of the contract, the White Sox still owe Hicks $17 million over the next two seasons. He will be undoubtedly be on the 26-man roster in 2026. The question is how he’s used.
The White Sox are already attempting to convert Sean Newcomb into a full-time starter and are giving Mike Vasil a legitimate opportunity to earn a rotation spot this spring. Could the organization still view Hicks as a rotation option—and perhaps a solution for an unsettled starting staff?
General manager Chris Getz shed some light on the team’s thinking in recent interviews. Speaking on MLB Network this week, Getz made it clear the White Sox are heavily leaning toward using Hicks in the bullpen.
“I think it’s probably going to go toward the bullpen. I do,” Getz said when asked about Hicks’ role. “I know his offseason has been fantastic.”
That’s the preferred role for Hicks, in my eyes.
There’s no need to make Hicks a closer or even a setup man right away. Let him settle into the middle innings and see if the White Sox can rediscover the elite velocity that once made him such a nightmare for hitters.
In 2023, there was no harder thrower in baseball than Hicks. His average fastball velocity was 100.1 mph, and he routinely touched triple digits with his sinker.
Out of necessity during his transition to the rotation, that number dropped significantly to 94.6 mph in 2024. While it ticked back up to 97.5 mph last season, it still wasn’t the elite velocity that separates Hicks from the pack—and that’s the version the White Sox need if they’re going to get real value out of him as a reliever.
“I am fine with either role,” Hicks said when introduced to the media over Zoom. “I am feeling well and got it up to 99.5 mph the other day, with the velocity consistently at 96.”
If Hicks is already touching 99.5 mph in early February, it’s fair to believe there’s another gear available once he’s fully ramped up. That’s an encouraging sign for his bullpen trajectory.
Now it’s on Chicago’s pitching lab to extract that value—and make Jordan Hicks worth the investment in 2026.