Giants urged to cut ties with $44 million flamethrower in trade

The San Francisco Giants were very active in free agency last offseason.

San Francisco isn't afraid to spend and brought in a few players last offseason, including Jordan Hicks, Matt Chapman, and Blake Snell, among others. Things didn't go as planned for the Giants, though, and they finished with an 80-82 record.

Now, the Giants need to go back to the drawing board this winter. San Francisco will likely look to bring in another star this winter, but trades could be in the works as well. Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer suggested that the team should trade pitcher Jordan Hicks.

"The caveat here is that Hicks wouldn't seem to be especially popular in San Francisco," Rymer said. "He was quick to earn goodwill in his first season as a Giant but just as quick in squandering it. The hard-throwing righty had a 2.33 ERA in 11 starts out of the gate but then a 6.42 ERA over his next nine. He finished the year in the bullpen, where his reliability was about as spotty as it had been in prior experiences with St. Louis and Toronto.

"With the guy who signed Hicks to a four-year, $44 million contract now out of the picture, it wouldn't be surprising if the Giants at least shopped him this winter. The only question then is what they could even get for him."

Hicks showed a lot of promise, but the second half of the season wasn't the best for him. This isn't too shocking, though. San Francisco converted Hicks to a starting spot. He spent the first five seasons of his career as a reliever, and the 2024 season was his first as a starter. It's unclear what they will do with him, but it may make more sense to keep him and give him another chance in the rotation.

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