Sources: Hicks agrees with Giants, set to start
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
Right-hander Jordan Hicks and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a four-year, $44 million contract, sources told ESPN, with the plan being to convert him from the bullpen into a full-time starter.
Hicks, 27, has experience as a starter, working there almost exclusively in his two minor league seasons and spending eight games in the rotation with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, he has a starter’s build, and even if his velocity recedes with the move, he will still be among the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball.
A source said Hicks can also make up to $2 million per year in performance bonuses.
Perhaps the most sought-after relief pitcher at the 2023 trade deadline, Hicks was dealt from the Cardinals to the Toronto Blue Jays for two prospects. He finished the season with 81 strikeouts in 65⅔ innings between the two teams, allowing just four home runs while saving 12 games.
Among all qualified pitchers, his 100.3 mph average on his four-seam fastball was second in the majors to Jhoan Duran (101.8 mph) and his 101.1 mph average on his sinker was second only to Aroldis Chapman, according to Statcast.
The deal, which is pending a physical, adds Hicks to a deep complement of starting options. Ace Logan Webb is the only guarantee in San Francisco’s rotation, with Hicks, right-hander Ross Stripling, left-handed prospect Kyle Harrison and right-hander Keaton Winn also vying for spots. San Francisco traded for former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, who is expected back from Tommy John surgery after the All-Star break, while veteran Alex Cobb is expected to miss the beginning of the season following hip surgery.
Hicks is best known for his blazing fastball, a pitch that dips and darts with uncommon movement for its velocity. He debuted in St. Louis’ bullpen at 21, less than three years after the Cardinals chose him in the third round out of a Houston-area high school.
He had Tommy John surgery in June 2019 after saving 14 games in 15 opportunities for the Cardinals. Hicks then opted out of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, citing preexisting health concerns, as he was diagnosed in high school with Type 1 diabetes. He returned in 2021, only to experience another setback with right elbow discomfort. He went on the injured list in early May and did not pitch again that season.
When he came back in 2022, Hicks built up to start, throwing 24⅔ innings over seven games with a 5.84 ERA before going on the injured list. He returned as a reliever — and opened one July game — and stayed in the bullpen through the end of last season. In his 25 games with Toronto, Hicks posted a 2.63 ERA and finished strong in the best season of his big league career.
San Francisco has cycled through a litany of starting pitchers in recent years, with Stripling, Winn, Sean Manaea, Alex Wood and Jakob Junis all pitching out of the bullpen as well last season as the Giants went 79-83 and fired manager Gabe Kapler. If Hicks doesn’t remain in the rotation, he would join Camilo Doval and make up the hardest-throwing back end of a bullpen in baseball.
Hicks is the third free agent to sign with the Giants this winter, joining center fielder Jung Hoo Lee (six years, $113 million) and catcher Tom Murphy (two years, $8.25 million).
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.
Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.
O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.
Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.
In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.
Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.
Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.
The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.
LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.
Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.
Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.
Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.
Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.
The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.
That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
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