Giants signing free agent flamethrower to sizable deal

Sep 15, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view of a San Francisco Giants cap and glove during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants are adding some unleaded gas to their lineup.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Friday that the Giants have agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with free agent pitcher Jordan Hicks. Passan adds that Hicks, who has mainly been a reliever to this point of his MLB career, is expected to serve as a starter for the Giants.

Hicks, 27, is known as one of the hardest throwers in the sport. He has stunned us many times over with his feats on the radar gun and posted a stellar 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings last season between St. Louis and Toronto. According to FanGraphs, Hicks is averaging 100.8 mph on his fastball for his career and 100.2 mph on his sinker.

With that kind of arm, there is obvious risk with trying to stretch Hicks out to become a starter, namely since Hicks already had Tommy John surgery in 2019. But the Giants may just ask the righty Hicks to serve as an opener and perhaps only for a brief period of time before the big-name pitcher that they recently traded for returns around the All-Star break.