According to Shin Davidi of Rogers Sportsnet on Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired reliever Jordan Hicks in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league pitchers Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein. The transaction is significant because Hicks is one of the hardest throwing pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. He has reportedly thrown a Major-League high 1583 pitches at 100 miles per hour or more since 2018, which is the most over the last five years.
In 2023 for the Cardinals, Hicks has a record of one win and six losses with an earned run average of 3.67. During 40 games and 41 2/3 innings pitched, he has had eight saves, six holds, and 59 strikeouts. Hicks has given up 39 hits, 17 earned runs, two home runs, and 24 walks to go along with a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.51. Hicks’s win came in a 1-0 Cardinals win over the Texas Rangers on June 7.
The Blue Jays were in need of a reliever with Jordan Romano of Markham, Ontario on the injury list with back tightness. Toronto is in third place in the American League with a record of 59 wins and 47 losses. They share the second best wildcard record in the American League with the Houston Astros. The Blue Jays and Astros lead the Boston Red Sox by two and a half games for the final playoff spot.
