With trade for Hicks, aggressive Blue Jays ready for big moments
Keegan Matheson
@KeeganMathesonTORONTO -- The Jordan Hicks trade represents a new type of aggression for the Blue Jays.
This front office has been aggressive before, dealing top prospects and several first-round picks, but those all have been deals to acquire players with team control remaining. Some trades have been made with more of a ¡°win-now¡± lean than others, but few moves from this front office, if any, have looked like this.
The Hicks acquisition is a classic rental. He¡¯s here for two months -- though, hopefully a little longer -- to throw baseballs just about as fast as a human being is capable of.
¡°This really is just about as good a fit for our bullpen as we could find,¡± said general manager Ross Atkins. ¡°I think he¡¯s going to complement our bullpen exceptionally well. The power is obvious, the ground balls and an elite, elite ability to get very weak contact.¡±
Going from a seller to a buyer has energized the 26-year-old Hicks, too, after the Cardinals fell short this season of their always-lofty expectations.
¡°[Toronto] is the team with the highest [batting average] against me, so it¡¯s good to be here,¡± Hicks said with a smile. ¡°They¡¯re a great group of young talent, a good team and good individual players. Inside the clubhouse, it just seems like a really connected team. I¡¯m glad to be here.¡±
For Atkins: A bold (first) step
This is the exact type of move that points to further aggression.
That could be tough in a market that¡¯s shallow on hitters, which is where Toronto would likely prefer to turn next, but the Blue Jays recognize how big an opportunity this season is for them, and Hicks only adds to that.
Prior to the deal, Hicks and the Cardinals had some level of dialogue around a potential contract extension. That clearly never advanced, but Hicks will be one of the top names on the free-agent market this offseason at just 27 years old. If the Blue Jays want to lean into this caliber of a bullpen as an identity, not just a late-season peak, then they¡¯ll be shopping in that market, and they now have two months to make an impression on the young flamethrower.
¡°I absolutely would love to have that dialogue with him,¡± Atkins said. ¡°First things first, we want to welcome him into the organization. We are always glad to hear when a team is aggressively wanting their player back. That certainly is encouraging.¡±
For Schneider: A garage full of Lamborghinis
The Blue Jays¡¯ bullpen was already stacked, ranking top-five in MLB in ERA, strikeout rate and walk rate. There¡¯s no such thing as too many options, though. Good teams have one closer. Great teams have three or four.
¡°You can shorten up some games,¡± said manager John Schneider. ¡°I don¡¯t want to look too far ahead, but when you¡¯re talking about a three-, five- or seven-game series, you can really shorten some games and grab some really, really good matchups with really, really good pitchers if you want to.¡±
When Jordan Romano (lower back inflammation) returns from the injured list, the Blue Jays will find themselves in situations where Hicks or Erik Swanson are being used in the sixth or seventh inning against the heart of an opponent¡¯s lineup. This is exactly where Toronto wants to be in the postseason, and while Schneider will still need to pull all the right levers when it comes to the matchups, most managers in MLB will be jealous of his options.
For Hicks: A shot to chase a championship
With Romano on the 15-day IL, Hicks could be used in the closer¡¯s role over the next two weeks. The Blue Jays will spread that love around based on the situation, but a fastball that averages 101 mph would look awfully nice in the ninth inning.
¡°I didn¡¯t even know Romano was out until I got the trade call. Then some of my ex-teammates were telling me, ¡®Oh, you might close for a little bit,¡¯¡± Hicks said. ¡°I¡¯m just expecting to be in the back end of the bullpen when he gets back, helping out in whatever way I can. If he¡¯s been used a couple of days in a row, maybe I can step in.¡±
Hicks will become the hardest-throwing reliever in Blue Jays history the moment he takes the mound, and with the direction this club is headed, some of the season¡¯s biggest moments are waiting for him.