Cardinals Free Agent Signs Lucrative Deal With NL Foe, Ending Reunion Hopes

St. Louis will not bring back the flamethrower

Scott Neville | Jan 12, 2024

Cardinals Free Agent Signs Lucrative Deal With NL Foe, Ending Reunion Hopes /

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The St. Louis Cardinals have been active in the high-leverage reliever market as they aim to bolster the bullpen.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak reportedly aimed to add two impact relievers entering the winter -- after trading for Andrew Kittredge, one more target remains.

One of the targets St. Louis faithful would have loved to retain is a homegrown flamethrower who was traded months ago.

Instead, the hurler will be taking his talents to the West Coast and undergoing somewhat of a career change.

"Right-hander Jordan Hicks and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a four-year, $44 million contract," ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Friday. "Hicks, 27, is expected to work as a starter after spending the majority of his career in the bullpen."

Hicks posted a 3.29 ERA with an 81-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .231 batting average against and 1.36 WHIP in 65 2/3 innings last season between the Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cardinals had interest in bringing the right-hander back but not as a starter and certainly not at his price point. Instead, St. Louis reportedly will be looking for a short-term contract in the $5 million range.

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Published Jan 12, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu