Red Sox Reportedly 'Poking Around' Regarding Cardinals Reunion Candidate

St. Louis will have to act fast to retain their homegrown hurler

Scott Neville | Dec 29, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly 'Poking Around' Regarding Cardinals Reunion Candidate /

In this story:

St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is expected to be in the market for high-leverage relievers amid an offseason-long attempt to bolster the pitching staff.

While there are plenty of options remaining, one of the most logical fits could soon be snagged by an American League opponent, the Boston Red Sox.

"The Red Sox have also been poking around on free agent reliever Jordan Hicks, per source," Beyond The Monster's Chris Henrique reported Thursday amid swirlings of activity in the relief market for Boston.

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

The Cardinals had interest in extending Hicks leading into last year's trade deadline but could not come to an agreement, which resulted in the move to Toronto.

After a strong finish with the Blue Jays, it's safe to assume Hicks would be welcomed back with open arms, as he's done nothing but improve his stock since departing.

Mozeliak will have a plethora of options to sort through in his quest to improve the bullpen and Hicks likely stands atop the list -- left-hander Josh Hader is the clear-cut top arm available but appears to be out of the Cardinals' budget.

St. Louis has been dead silent since the Winter Meetings and needs to get active before the remaining impact arms fall off the board.

More MLB: Dodgers Prospect Available After Dominant Season; Cardinals Should Claim Hurler

Published Dec 29, 2023

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