On February 1, the Red Sox and White Sox made a trade, per multiple reports. Chicago will take on Jordan Hicks, plus add hard-throwing prospect David Sandlin in the deal. Boston, meanwhile, received Minor League pitcher Gage Ziehl.

The White Sox’s Return

• SP/RP Jordan Hicks (6.95 ERA, 58 K, 32 BB over 67.1 IP)
• SP David Sandlin (4.50 ERA, 107 K, 40 BB over 106 IP) (AA & AAA)

When the Giants signed right-hander Jordan Hicks in January 2024 to become a starter, it was a very interesting move at the time. San Francisco committed a lot of money towards Hicks, mostly a reliever at the MLB level. But on top of that, Hicks had command issues throughout his career.

The experiment started well before Hicks ran into problems in July 2024. The Giants moved him back to the bullpen later in the year. Last season, Hicks started in the rotation again but wasn’t missing bats, gave up a lot of contact, and ultimately found himself out again. The Giants eventually packaged him to Boston as part of the deal that sent Rafael Devers to the Bay Area.

His time in Boston wasn’t great. Hicks walked 12 over 18.2 IP and had an ERA of 8.20. Shoulder tendinitis ended his year in September.

The positives with Hicks are these: he’s got a heavy sinker, which can limit the well-hit contact. And, his velocity ticked up when he returned to the bullpen towards the middle of the season before it dipped again late in the year.

However, Hicks is years removed from his excellent 2023 as a reliever. That season, Hicks was able to blow away hitters with his triple-digit fastball and induce chases.

Hicks has two more years left at $12.5MM.

The other piece going to the White Sox is David Sandlin, a starting pitcher prospect who was acquired by Boston two years ago for John Schreiber.

Sandlin, an 11th-round pick from 2022, was protected from the Rule 5 Draft after what was a good overall year. The right-hander struck out 107 batters over 106 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, most of which came while he was in Portland.

He didn’t do that well in Triple-A, though, as he posted a 7.61 ERA and walked 13 over 23.2 IP. It was a small sample size, and he had a swing-and-miss rate of 25.7%.

Hard four-seam fastball that can touch 99 MPH but sits more 95-97 MPH. Additionally, Sandlin will use a sinker, a hard, low-90s cutter, as well as a slider and a curveball.

The Red Sox’s Return

• SP Gage Ziehl (4.12 ERA, 90 K, 19 BB over 107 IP) (A, A+, & AA)

Gage Ziehl’s time in the White Sox organization did not last long. Ziehl was a fourth-round pick by the Yankees in 2024 and was traded in July 2025 as part of the Austin Slater trade.

Across 107 innings pitched, Ziehl struck out 90 over 107 innings, posted a 1.6 BB.9, and only allowed seven home runs across three levels. Not a power pitcher by any means but one who was able to ratchet it up to the mid-90s with his fastball, although he sat more in the low-90s. Also has a curveball, a cutter, a changeup, and a slider.

And as one would expect with the low home run total, Ziehl induces a lot of ground balls, unsurprisingly given the pitch mix. His GB% was north of 51% in the Florida State League, where he spent most of 2025.

Analysis

The New York Times recently reported that the Red Sox were internally debating dealing away some of their pitching. Hicks was one of the players mentioned — and now he’s gone.

Hicks will join a rebuilding White Sox team that does have more depth in the bullpen, especially now, thanks to young arms like Grant Taylor and Jordan Leasure. Seranthony Dominguez was also recently signed to deepen that bullpen.

Thus, Hicks wouldn’t make sense as a late-inning reliever. But, he does have that hard sinker and can provide a different look for opposing teams. And if he can find his form again as he did in 2023, who knows?

As for the Red Sox, this is more of a salary dump. The Red Sox cleared two 40-man roster spots and added a younger arm in Ziehl.

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