The Chicago Cubs entered the offseason knowing that they needed multiple upgrades to their bullpen. We’ve seen a few minor league deals for relievers, but no real established arm has been signed as of yet. With a slow-moving free agent market, there are still several high-leverage relief pitchers available for the Cubs to pick from and hard-throwing righty Jordan Hicks may be one of their targets.

Hicks, who was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays last summer from the St. Louis Cardinals, is one of many top-end bullpen arms who are still waiting on a deal this offseason. The 27-year-old was solid following the trade deadline, posting a 2.63 ERA in 25 appearances with the Blue Jays.

It appears as though Hicks’ market may be picking up and a deal could be in hand relatively soon as there has been more buzz around the former third round pick of the Cardinals.

Jon Heyman first brought up Hicks’ momentum in the market this week.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi also talked about Hicks and brought up the Houston Astros and New York Yankees as a few of the pitcher’s suitors right now.

On Friday, Heyman wrote about Hicks in the New York Post and listed the Cubs as a potential fit.

Via the New York Post.

Jordan Hicks’ market is heating up. The Phillies, Cubs, Rangers, Astros and Yankees all could make sense. Some have considered Hicks as a starter.

That was an interesting bit at the end by Heyman, saying Hicks may be considered as a starter. Since making his MLB debut in 2018, Hicks has made a total of 8 starts, which all came during the 2022 season. The righty struggled in the rotation, posting a 5.47 ERA in 26.1 innings, with 25 strikeouts and 21 walks Meanwhile, as a reliever, Hicks has a 3.65 ERA with 230 strikeouts in 217 innings.

Update: Giants Signs Hicks

Well, it turns out one of the teams that saw Hicks as a starting option was the San Francisco Giants. They have signed Hicks to a four-year contract worth $44 million and they plan on transitioning Hicks from the bullpen to their starting rotation.

We’ll see how that gamble pays off for the Giants.

As for the Cubs, they’ll now look elsewhere in free agency. They have recently been linked to former Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ryan Brasier and earlier in the offseason the Cubs were reportedly showing interest in Tampa Bay Rays reliever Robert Stephenson.

In recent weeks, there has been growing buzz around the Cubs and Josh Hader, although that talk has been more speculative than anything else.