The Red Sox send a right-hander Jordan Hicks to the White Sox, according to a report from Jeff Passan of ESPN. Hope to throw the right hand David Sandlin is also headed to Chicago alongside Hicks, as noted by Passan. The Red Sox get a chance to play right field Gage Ziehl and a player to be called back later, according to James Fegan of the SoxMachine. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reports that the Red Sox are putting some cash into the deal, while the White Sox will pick up the bulk of Hicks’ salary. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that Boston will send $8MM in cash to Chicago as part of the deal. Chicago would need to clear 40-man roster spots for both Hicks and Sandlin to make the deal legal.
The move is a salary dump for the Red Sox, who wiped $16MM of the $24MM Hicks was owed over the next two seasons off their books. The move drops their current luxury tax salary to $258MM according to RosterResource, just under the $264MM mark that represents the second luxury tax threshold. There have been some indications from the early parts of the season that Boston prefers to stay below that second threshold this winter, even though it trades for expensive veterans like. Sonny Gray again Wilson Contreras in addition to the signing of Guard Suarez previously he had pushed them over that line. Swapping the bulk of Hicks’ salary allowed them to get back on the bottom, though with a team known for looking for internal help it’s possible that more moves could change that stance.
To get Hicks off the books, the Red Sox parted ways with Sandlin. Sandlin is ranked as Boston’s #11 prospect by Baseball America heading into the 2026 campaign. The soon-to-be 25-year-old righty struggled in 23 2/3 inning appearances at Triple-A last year, but pitched to a 3.61 ERA in 17 outings (13 starts) at the Double-A level with a 25.4% strikeout rate. Sandlin is considered a major league rotation prospect who could help Boston’s bullpen as soon as this year, but he will now head to Chicago where he will have an easy chance to earn a major league role in the short term. Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Anthony Kayagain Sean Newcomb currently stands as the team’s projected starter entering Spring Training, but Sandlin could join the boys Jonathan Cannonand a fellow former Red Sox pitcher Chris Murphy in standing as the primary depth option behind those players, with a chance to earn a job with the big league club out of camp this spring.
Going the other way is Ziehl, who is ranked by Baseball America as Chicago’s #21 prospect heading into the 2026 campaign. Acquired from the Yankees over the summer in Austin Slater trade, Ziehl made his pro debut last year with a 4.12 ERA in 22 appearances (21 starts) across the Single-A, High-A, and Double-A levels. The righty has a five-pitch repertoire led by a strong sweeper, but his entire arsenal is drawing unfavorable marks despite previous testing reports that suggested his fastball could top 97mph. Decent figures to start the year at Double-A for the Red Sox, but questions remain about whether he can be more than a long reliever in the majors.
This deal makes sense for the White Sox to make as they look to accelerate their rebuild and stockpile reliable MLB talent. After trading Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets in a deal that earned the center fielder Luisangel AcunaThe Sox also invested in a big league signing Austin Hays replacing Robert in the outfield and adding Seranthony Dominguez in a barn that needs a skilled one nearby. This latest move adds another young pitcher close to the majors in Sandlin while also bringing an intriguing candidate back into the fold. While Hicks may have a role with the Red Sox this year after struggling to an 8.20 ERA with the club, there’s little reason for Chicago not to roll the dice on a player with a high-90s fastball and a history of success in the majors.
Hicks has been heavily focused as a starter in recent years after signing with the Giants as a rotation piece, but his major success (including a standout 2023 season with the Cardinals and Blue Jays) saw him released. It’s unclear what role Hicks will take with the White Sox this season, but given their lack of quality bullpen pieces (other than Dominguez) and their deep pool of potential starting options, perhaps a move back to the bullpen would make some sense for the hard-throwing righty. If he returns to the bullpen this year, he will have the opportunity to join the likes of Mike Vasil, Jordan Leisureagain Grant Taylor in handling the setup duties behind Dominguez.
