The Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox exchanged pitching prospects and Chicago also acquired veteran right-handed hurler Jordan Hicks in a trade announced Sunday afternoon.
In addition to Hicks, Chicago received right-handed pitcher David Sandlin, cash considerations and two players to be named later. The Red Sox added righty Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later.
The Red Sox will reportedly pay $8 million of the $25 million Hicks is owed over the next two seasons as a condition of the trade.
Hicks, 29, spent his first five major league seasons (2018-19, 2021-23) with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2015 Cards’ third-round draft selection was a key member of their bullpen in the first two years, recording 24 holds in 2018 and 14 saves with a 3.14 ERA and 0.94 WHIP the following year.
Hicks, who has Type 1 diabetes, did not pitch in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He developed inflammation in his throwing shoulder in May 2021 and was shut down for the remainder of the campaign.
The Houston native was traded to Toronto on July 30, 2023 and recorded four saves down the stretch.
The free agent signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the San Francisco Giants in January 2024. He started 29 games over 42 appearances, but struggled with a 6.47 ERA in 2025 and was one of four players traded to Boston for Rafael Devers in June.
For his career, Hicks has appeared in 275 games, posting a 17-35 record and a 4.41 ERA. He does have 409 strikeouts in 420 1/3 innings of work.
Sandlin, 24, split time between Boston’s Class AA Portland and Class AAA Worcester clubs in 2025. The Oklahoma native, who pitched for the Sooners in college, was primarily used as a starter in Portland and a reliever in Worcester.
Sandlin was an 11th-round draft pick by Kansas City in the 2022 MLB Draft and has a 4.69 ERA and 13-12 record over 232 minor league innings.
Ziehl, 22, heads to Boston after spending the final two months of the season in Chicago’s Class High-A affiliate in Winston-Salem.
The Macedon, N.Y. native pitched to a 2-2 record and 4.01 ERA in six starts last season after the trade. Ziehl was a fourth-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2024.
