Blue Jays acquire reliever Jordan Hicks from Cardinals: Why St. Louis made the trade

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired reliever Jordan Hicks from the St. Louis Cardinals, the team announced Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Why the Cardinals dealt Hicks

The Cardinals officially initiated their selling summer by trading right-handed reliever Hicks to the Blue Jays. Hicks, who will be a free agent at the end of this season, was believed to be one of the most coveted relief arms on the market, due to his triple-digit fastball and wipeout slider. The Cardinals had initially tried to extend Hicks to a multi-year contract earlier in the week, but when talks stalled, St. Louis pivoted.

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Hicks is the first of several players likely to be traded before the Aug. 1 deadline. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak has repeatedly stated his intentions to field a competitive club in 2024. Because of this, the Cardinals were hesitant to part with talent that remained under significant team control. Instead, Mozeliak looked to trade players approaching free agency at the end of the year. Hicks, along with starting pitchers Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, reliever Chris Stratton and infielder Paul DeJong were all likely trade candidates. — Woo

Why the Blue Jays acquired Hicks

Every contender is looking for more help in their bullpen at this time of year; the Blue Jays are no different. But raising Toronto’s urgency to address their bullpen was an injury to closer Jordan Romano, who went on the 15-day IL on Saturday with lower back inflammation. Even though Romano’s stay is expected to be minimal, the Blue Jays clearly want another hard-thrower in their bullpen as they try to hold onto a wild-card spot or make a run at first place in the American League East division.

Hicks is an electric arm, who throws a 100-mph sinker with movement. He’s one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game, with a 31.2 percent strikeout rate, and he’s been adept at inducing weak contact, too, as his stuff is tough to barrel up. If there is a concern, it’s that his command can be shaky at times, with a 12.7 percent walk rate, although his command looks to have improved in June and July.

He’s a free agent after the season, so this was a win-now move from the Blue Jays. Hicks gives them another dynamic arm in a bullpen that’s already top three in the American League, per ERA and strikeout rate. The Blue Jays still have more work to do, though, namely addressing the need for a right-handed bat and maybe acquiring some starting pitching depth, too. But this move makes them better. — McGrath

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Backstory

Hicks started the season so poorly that he nearly lost his place on the Cardinals’ roster, but after tweaking his pre-game routine and how he sets up on the rubber, Hicks has once again emerged as one of the most dominant late-inning relievers in the game. His fastball velocity is in the top percent of the sport, and his strikeout percentage isn’t far behind, ranking in the top 10 percent. Even for a rental, Hicks’ stuff is just too nasty to pass up. — Woo

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(Photo: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)

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