The San Francisco Giants are in agreement with a Houston Astros free agent target. Previous rumors indicated that the Houston Astros had interest in acquiring flame-throwing right-hander Jordan Hicks. However, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros were never going to give Hicks a four-year deal this cycle and viewed and agreement as unlikely.

That intuition seemingly has come true as the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a four-year, $44 million contract with the elite reliever, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

What’s surprising is after being viewed as one of the best bullpen arms available, the 27-year-old is expected to work as a starter despite just eight starts during his career, all coming in the 2022 season.

Hicks would have most likely worked out of the bullpen for Houston; the Astros need bullpen arms after Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton, and Hector Neris depart in free agency. Hicks is coming off his best season yet, putting up an impressive 3.29 EA with 81 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings pitched.

He spent the first half of the season with the St. Louis Cardinals before getting traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hicks’ season was supported by advanced numbers; according to BaseballSavant, he ranked above the 80th percentile in xERA, xBA, K%, Barrel%, GB%, and other metrics. His 100th-percentile fastball is what sets him apart as one of the game’s most dominant relievers. Given his history, it’s interesting that he’s expected to work as a starter, but the Giants must see something; if that role was what he was looking for in free agency, that could be another reason the Astros didn’t pursue him. Now, Houston must find other elite relievers who can help them return to the top of the American League.

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