Phillies Could Pursue Ex-Cardinals Fireballer This Offseason In Free Agency

One former member of the Cardinals could end up landing with the Phillies this offseason

One former member of the St. Louis Cardinals could end up landing with the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason.

St. Louis struggled in 2023 and ultimately ended up being one of the league's sellers ahead of the trade deadline. The Cardinals traded away Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, Paul DeJong, and Jordan Hicks ahead of the deadline. Hicks was one of the more surprising deals. There were rumblings around the deadline that the Cardinals were discussing an extension with Hicks and it sounded like the two sides could agree.

The two sides didn't come together on a new deal and he eventually was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. Hicks shined with Toronto and posted a 2.65 ERA in 25 appearances. He now is a free agent and there have been rumblings again that he could rejoin the Cardinals, but if not, one team that could be a fit is the Philadelphia Phillies, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

"The Phillies seem unlikely to pursue Josh Hader to fill their late-inning bullpen need, as the lefty is expected to command the largest deal ever for a reliever," Feinsand said. "Hicks possesses an elite fastball – the pitch averaged 100.1 mph last season – and he ranked in the top 20% of the league in ground-ball rate (96th percentile), average exit velocity (89th) and strikeout percentage (83rd). He would fit in nicely with Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado in the back end of Philly’s bullpen."

Hicks will be highly sought-after this offseason. He is just 27 years old and won't be as expensive as someone like Josh Hader. Although he won't be as expensive, he has plenty of upside and a blistering fastball. He has a career 3.85 ERA across 212 outings so far in his young career and should be starting to enter his prime. Hicks makes sense as a target for the Cardinals but it wouldn't be too surprising for the club to have some competition for his services.  

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