Red Sox trade Jordan Hicks to White Sox
The Chicago White Sox acquired veteran reliever Jordan Hicks, pitching prospect David Sandlin, two players to be named later, and cash from the Boston Red Sox for pitching prospect Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later, the club announced Sunday.
The Red Sox sent $8 million to the White Sox to help cover the $24 million remaining on Hicks' salary for 2026 and 2027, sources told Will Sammon of The Athletic.
Boston and Chicago talked about a potential deal involving reliever Jordan Leasure heading to the Red Sox before the clubs agreed on Ziehl, reports MassLive's Chris Cotillo.
Hicks authored a 6.95 ERA with 4.35 FIP, 1.66 WHIP, and 7.8 K/9 over 67 1/3 innings (nine starts) between the Red Sox and San Francisco Giants last season. It was the worst campaign of his seven-year career. San Francisco shipped him to Boston in June as part of the Rafael Devers blockbuster trade.
The 29-year-old has pitched out of the bullpen for most of his career. He made a short-lived transition to starting after inking a four-year, $44-million deal with the Giants in January 2024.
Interesting stat from the White Sox:
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) February 1, 2026
Jordan Hicks has thrown 1,733 career pitches at 100-plus mph since 2018, the most in the major leagues.
Sandlin was the No. 8-ranked prospect in the Red Sox system in 2025, according to MLB Pipeline. The 24-year-old right-hander posted a 4.50 ERA with 9.1 K/9 over 106 innings (14 starts) between Double-A and Triple-A last year.
Ziehl, 22, finished 2025 as the No. 14-ranked prospect in the White Sox system. The right-hander recorded a 4.12 ERA with 90 strikeouts across 107 innings (21 starts) between three minor-league levels in 2025.
The White Sox designated right-hander Jairo Iriarte and catcher Drew Romo for assignment to make room for Hicks and Sandlin on the 40-man roster.