After another long offseason with spring training in sight, the Boston Red Sox still have a few final additions they must make to their roster. An infielder continues to evade them, the biggest story of their winter pursuits, but they also need to supplement their bullpen with some fresh relief arms.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow wants to add a lefty to his bullpen before Opening Day, which will take both money and roster space. Boston's 40-man roster is full after the Ranger Suárez trade and some relievers could become roster casualties to new players.
In his first Opening Day roster projection, Red Sox beat reporter Chris Cotillo of MassLive theorized that one of them could be Jordan Hicks. The righty was just one part of Boston's return in the Rafael Devers trade, and while it would be ideal if the return worked out in the long term, it's easy to see why Breslow could be itching to let him go.
Hicks has had some great seasons in the major leagues, but he's struggled since he signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the San Francisco Giants before the 2024 season. His stretch in Boston has been the worst of his career so far — he clocked a 6.95 ERA over 67.1 innings, including nine starts for the Giants, last season, with an 8.20 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in 18.2 frames for the Sox.
Red Sox predicted to cut ties with Jordan Hicks, one piece of Rafael Devers trade return, before Opening Day
The Red Sox may also look to cut ties with Hicks because of how much money he's owed. Somehow, they landed a player on a contract worse than Devers' in the trade that shipped him across the country, and it's clear why San Francisco was so eager to part with him. Hicks represents a $12 million CBT hit, which could've been better spent on Alex Bregman or another free agent infielder to replenish the offense in Bregman's absence.
It would be unfortunate to see Hicks go after half a season with the Red Sox because they should've got a better return for Devers. The front office opted for the Giants to absorb his entire contract, accepting a late-inning liability in exchange.
The Red Sox have more than enough pitching depth to trade Hicks or designate him for assignment — their bullpen and payroll will be better for it unless something drastically changes his game this coming season.