Jordan Hicks Was a Salary Dump, Now He's Becoming a Weapon For White Sox

The trade was primarily a salary dump by Boston, which sent $8 million to Chicago as part of the deal, leaving the White Sox on the hook for the remaining $16 million over the final two years of Hicks' contract. The real prize of the trade was considered to be right-hander David Sandlin, making Hicks essentially an afterthought.

Since returning to the major league roster on June 21, Hicks has been nearly untouchable, throwing seven consecutive scoreless innings. Over his last seven appearances, he has struck out 12 batters while allowing just three hits and one walk.

The White Sox had Hicks scrap his slider and trim his pitch mix down to a four-seam fastball, split-finger, sweeper, and sinker. They also lowered his arm angle to 33 degrees to create more movement and deception on his pitches.

Hicks' fastball sits at 98 mph this season, which ranks in the top three percent of all pitchers in baseball. He has averaged 97 mph over his eight-year major league career, giving him one of the hardest fastballs in the game.

Before going on the injured list with a right lat strain on May 20, Hicks had a brutal 5.60 ERA and 2.09 WHIP across 17.2 innings. Since his return on June 21, he has pitched seven scoreless innings.