“What a return for Rafael Devers” “Jordan Hicks legit unpitchable” - Fan cry out for ex-Red Sox star after disastrous 8-1 loss vs. Guardians

It has gone from bad to worse for Jordan Hicks this year as he continues to have the worst season of his career. The reliever moved to the East Coast to the Boston Red Sox in the Rafael Devers trade from the San Francisco Giants this year, but that hasn't brought in any change in his performances.

Hicks pitched 1-5 with a 6.47 ERA over 48.2 innings with the Giants. In Boston, he has made 21 relief appearances, pitching 1-2 with an 8.20 ERA over 18.2 innings. He earned four runs on four hits coming into the game, in the first inning of a bullpen game for Boston against the Cleveland Guardians, which ended in an 8-1 loss.

Fans were quickly onto the scene, as the general sentiment was that the fanbase expected a better return in a trade that involved a franchise star like Devers.

Here are a few fan reactions:

"What a return for Devers," one said.

Mark Montimurro

@CoachMonti0105

@Jared_Carrabis What a return for Devers 🤮

"He’s not just bad, Hicks energizes the entire opposing offense. He’s legit unpitchable. At some point the contract can’t matter," another fan opined.

David Newton

@DNewt1968

@Jared_Carrabis He’s not just bad, Hicks energizes the entire opposing offense. He’s legit unpitchable. At some point the contract can’t matter.

"I genuinely can’t believe we’re on the hook for $12M in 2026 and 2027 for Jordan Hicks. This was a real player in return, that we also had to take money on for in the Rafael Devers trade. Unreal," another fan wrote.

Garrett Mashburn

@G_Mashburn

I genuinely can’t believe we’re on the hook for $12M in 2026 and 2027 for Jordan Hicks. This was a real player in return, that we also had to take money on for in the Rafael Devers trade. Unreal.

"The Giants must have felt like they were being pranked when they received a phone call from Boston offering them Rafael Devers, 'but you GOTTA include Jordan Hicks,'" another wrote.

Michael Hurley

@michaelFhurley

The Giants must have felt like they were being pranked when they received a phone call from Boston offering them Rafael Devers, "but you GOTTA include Jordan Hicks."

"All the intangibles and story lines aside from the Devers trade, it was simply a bad trade because I’ve had to watch Jordan Hicks pitch for my beloved ball club," a Red Sox fan said.

Matthew Leb

@Leb_Zeppelins

All the intangibles and story lines aside from the Devers trade, it was simply a bad trade because I’ve had to watch Jordan Hicks pitch for my beloved ball club

"Can’t believe he was part of the Devers deal. Truly a salary dump," a fan said.

Big Baby G

@BigBabyG_10

@Jared_Carrabis Can’t believe he was part of the Devers deal. Truly a salary dump

Rafael Devers' trade was forced upon the Red Sox because of a disagreement over the 28-year-old's primary position in the infield. Despite a slight dip in numbers, he had batted to a .252/.356/.476 stat line, with a .832 OPS with 39 RBIs and 15 homers in San Francisco.

The Red Sox have to deal with the four-year $44 million contract the Giants had signed Jordan Hicks to in the 2023-24 offseason. With two years of $24 million left on it, releasing Hicks would require a huge buyout amount.

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Alex Cora makes feelings known about Jordan Hicks' performances

After the game against the Guardians, Alex Cora underpinned Jordan Hicks' importance in Boston's bullpen.

“We've got to figure him out. We need him," Cora said. "That's the bottom line. Because we've got Whitlock as a setup man, we need righties in the bullpen to do their job. We trust the ability but we have to execute”

The Red Sox have a 78-63 record as they gear up for the postseason as one of the contenders after the second best record in the league in the last few months.