The Yankees Are Paying For Aaron Hicks to Be On the Angels

There's very little downside to this signing when someone else pays for it.

On Monday, the Angels added veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks to the roster. The Angels will pay Hicks $740,000 next year, but the New York Yankees will pick up the rest of the tab.

Aaron Hicks is in agreement with the Angels as @JeffFletcherOCR reported. Will get $740K from LAA. The NYY responsible for $8.76M in 2024, plus $9.5M in 2025 and $1M on a buyout for 2026

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 29, 2024

Next year, the Yankees will pay Hicks $8.76 million, and then an additional $9.5 million in 2025. This means the Angels can keep him on the roster for two seasons and pay him next to nothing.

The switch-hitting outfielder comes to Southern California as a much-needed bench upgrade. Hicks, 36, has excelled against left-handed pitching in his career, making him a nice platoon piece with Mickey Moniak.

After signing with the Baltimore Orioles in the middle of the 2023 season, Hicks outperformed his statistics in recent years. He had an .806 OPS — his highest mark since 2018 — with a .275 batting average in 65 games. 

Angels general manager Perry Minasian was a believer based on the limited sample size with Baltimore.

"He played really well for Baltimore after making the change from New York, and we saw a rejuvenated guy that can still really play," Minasian said on a call with reporters Monday. "He can be productive. As far as somebody who really fit what we were looking for, he stood out."

The Angels got themselves a designated hitter and potential fourth outfielder for basically free. While not the star power most would hope to replace Shohei Ohtani, Hicks can be a veteran presence for a relatively young roster. 

Hicks grew up in San Pedro and graduated from Wilson High School in Long Beach.