By taking on Jordan Hicks’ contract to acquire David Sandlin, the White Sox signaled a process they haven’t always been willing to embrace.
On Sunday afternoon, the Chicago White Sox agreed to a trade with the Boston Red Sox.
The White Sox acquired right-handed pitchers Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin, along with cash considerations and two players to be named later (PTBNL), in exchange for right-hander Gage Ziehl and a PTBNL.
Ziehl was the No. 14 prospect in the White Sox organization prior to the trade. He was originally acquired from the New York Yankees at the 2025 trade deadline in a deal for outfielder Austin Slater.
Sandlin, meanwhile, was an 11th-round pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2022. He was traded to Boston in 2024 as part of the John Schreiber deal and has since emerged as one of the more intriguing arms in the Red Sox farm system, ranking No. 9 prior to the trade.
If you strip away the players to be named later and look at this purely as a two-for-one — Sandlin and Hicks for Ziehl — it’s a good deal for Chicago.
Not because it significantly moves the needle for the 2026 White Sox, but because it represents sound process from the front office to improve the club’s long-term outlook. It’s also a clear example of how money can be used strategically to do so.
I’m not entirely sure what Jordan Hicks will be in 2026. He was once one of the most feared high-leverage relievers in baseball — a pitcher throwing 104 mph sinkers with the St. Louis Cardinals at his peak.
In my opinion, Hicks is better suited to returning to a bullpen role rather than continuing to be stretched out as a starter. Still, there’s something there. Whether the White Sox can unlock it again remains to be seen and there's no shying away from the fact that he's been detrimental to his teams in recent years.
But I don’t think this trade is really about Jordan Hicks at all.
Taking on his unquestionably bad contract — even after receiving cash from Boston, the White Sox will pay Hicks $4.5 million in 2026 and owe him $12.5 million in 2027 — was the vehicle. Chicago used that financial flexibility to upgrade its pitching prospect pool by acquiring David Sandlin, an arm they clearly believe can turn into a real prize.
Sandlin was excellent in Double-A Portland last season but struggled after being moved to the bullpen in Triple-A Worcester as Boston eyed a potential call up.
The White Sox will give him an opportunity to compete in spring training as a starter. Barring a breakout that forces the issue, Sandlin will open the year in the Triple-A Charlotte rotation and could hear his name called by the end of the 2026 season if things click.
It’s a high-risk, high-reward profile. Sandlin has loud stuff — his fastball touches 100 mph and he features a promising sweeper — but the movement on his fastball isn’t always consistent, and neither is his command.
There’s risk that his future ends up being in relief full-time. If that happens, you could argue the White Sox are actually subtracting from their starting pitching depth in this trade. But this is a power arsenal tailor-made for Brian Bannister and the White Sox pitching lab to work with.
Sandlin pretty clearly has a higher ceiling than Ziehl. He’s also much closer to the major league level. In the White Sox’ eyes, that alone represents an upgrade.
To make that upgrade, they’re taking on Hicks’ contract while also hoping to extract whatever value they can from him along the way.
I’d only call this a small win. It’s not a trade I’m jumping for joy over, and it doesn’t dramatically change my overall view of what Chris Getz and the front office have done this offseason.
But it is a move I applaud because of the process behind it.
In many ways, it’s the exact opposite of the Luis Robert Jr. trade — a pure salary dump that will never be justified in my eyes.
With Robert, the White Sox prioritized salary relief despite already operating with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. They didn’t eat any of his contract, and as a result, accepted a significantly worse prospect return.
This trade, however, shows how using money — and being willing to absorb a bad contract — can help an organization improve at the margins and potentially create long-term value.
Even if it never materializes into wins on the field, I’m a fan of the process the White Sox put on display here.