The Giants proceed to view Jordan Hicks as a beginning pitcher, baseball operations president Buster Posey stated this afternoon (X hyperlink by way of Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports activities Bay Space). The 28-year-old righty completed this previous season within the bullpen.
San Francisco signed Hicks to a four-year, $44MM free agent contract final winter. They gave the hard-throwing sinkerballer a beginning job. That was Hicks’ first prolonged rotation work. He had began eight video games for the Cardinals in 2022 however moved again to the bullpen comparatively early in that yr. He was a full-time reliever in ’23 earlier than getting the rotation spot with the Giants.
Hicks confirmed early promise as a starter. He posted a 2.70 earned run common over 12 begins by way of the tip of Might. It regarded as if Hicks can be a reliever-to-rotation success story within the Seth Lugo or Michael King mildew, however issues went off the rails halfway by way of the yr. Hicks’ velocity trended down every month. Whereas he averaged 95.6 MPH on his sinker in April, that was all the way down to 93.4 MPH by July. The outcomes sharply dropped with it, as he posted a 5.24 ERA in June and allowed practically a run per inning in July.
San Francisco kicked Hicks to the bullpen by the tip of that month. He pitched nicely within the extra acquainted one-inning function however battled shoulder irritation late within the yr. Hicks completed the season with a 4.10 ERA in a career-high 109 2/3 innings. The speed manufacturing was round common when all was stated and accomplished, but it surely was an up-and-down yr.
Given the way in which Hicks wore down bodily, it was honest to surprise if the Giants would transfer him again to reduction for good. Posey additionally wasn’t answerable for signing him as a starter, a transfer that got here underneath earlier entrance workplace chief Farhan Zaidi. However, it appears they’ll give Hicks one other shot at a rotation spot.
Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Kyle Harrison are locked into rotation roles going into camp. If Hicks takes the fourth spot, that’d go away one job up for grabs. That’ll in all probability be an exterior acquisition of some sort. The Giants have been linked to Corbin Burnes, although that reported curiosity predated their $182MM settlement with Willy Adames. It’s not clear in the event that they’re nonetheless prepared to play on the high of the rotation market. There are a variety of extra reasonably priced potentialities within the center tiers of free company. Mason Black, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp are the highest inner candidates for the fifth starter function. They every have choices and will open subsequent season in Triple-A if San Francisco makes an addition.
In different pitching information, Posey downplayed the potential for buying and selling former nearer Camilo Doval (relayed on X by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). The Giants have gotten curiosity within the one-time All-Star, who struggled to a 4.88 ERA as his command deteriorated this yr. Buying and selling Doval this winter can be promoting low, although, and the Giants are already a bit skinny behind the bullpen. Ryan Walker had a breakout season to take the ninth inning, whereas Taylor Rogers and Tyler Rogers are in potential leverage roles. Doval, whom MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz initiatives to make $4.6MM in his first season of arbitration eligibility, represents a unstable center innings choice.
