Does Aaron Hicks have any trade value?

[MurphDogg]

With Cowser up and Hays, Santander and Mullins locked into the 4 OF/DH spots, I don't see much playing time opportunity for Aaron Hicks.

McKenna is as good or better defensively and is a better pinch-running option than Hicks, and Cowser can play centerfield as well, so I doubt we would lose much if McKenna took Hicks' place on the roster.

If an outfielder were to go on the IL, Kjerstad would seemingly be as good an option to fill in as Hicks at this point.

With Hicks making the pro-rated minimum for the remainder of the season and a free agent after the season (albeit with the Yankees paying his salary through 2025), does his decent stretch with the O's make him a potential trade target for a contending team looking for a 4th outfielder / stop-gap center fielder?

If so, I wouldn't be opposed to trading him for a lottery ticket or two in the low minors.

[Sports Guy]

Maybe but I tend to doubt it…I feel he’s valuable to us down the stretch although I’m not convinced we need him AND Frazier essentially playing the same role come September and beyond.

Edited July 6, 2023 by Sports Guy

[Aglets]

How badly do you want some cash considerations?

what if they throw in a PTBNL?

[clapdiddy]

I like Hicks a little better than McKenna as the 4th (or 5th) outfielder.   I think there is a place here for him for the remainder of the season (providing he remains productive), but definitely not beyond that.

[7Mo]

I noticed an interview a few days ago when he was asked the difference in his play from NY to the O's, he repeated playing time several times.

I question if he won't encourage a trade when he's not in the lineup everyday. That may not mean much, but Hicks being traded this month is very much in play, IMO.

[dystopia]

Frazier is the guy to trade imo. He has little value as well but at least Hicks is decent. Frazier is blocking younger guys for very little production. 

[interloper]

It's funny - as soon as Hicks had to play in Yankee Stadium again, his patience at the plate went out the window. Looked super jumpy, lot of first pitch fly outs, etc. 

I give him another series or two, but then I'm thinking about moving on. 

[HakunaSakata]

I just saw a report that the Dodgers were in the market for a right handed bat because Chris Taylor's recovery isn't going is a quickly as they expected. They might be a fit. 

[sportsfan8703]

Hicks is the perfect 4th OF for this team. Why would we trade him?  .849 OPS for us in 108 PA. Switch hitter. Plays all three OF spots. Works the count. 22 SO 16 BB. 

I thought people only didn’t like Hicks because he was taking PT from Cowser?  Well, that’s not the case. 

Of course, Hicks has trade value, but he fits us so well. He has more value than Mancini did last year.  That’s for sure. 

[Malike]

Just now, sportsfan8703 said:

Hicks is the perfect 4th OF for this team. Why would we trade him?  .849 OPS for us in 108 PA. Switch hitter. Plays all three OF spots. Works the count. 22 SO 16 BB. 

I thought people only didn’t like Hicks because he was taking PT from Cowser?  Well, that’s not the case. 

Of course, Hicks has trade value, but he fits us so well. He has more value than Mancini did last year.  That’s for sure. 

Because we need to have a homegrown 40-man, it's simple. We only have 16 currently. Teams like the Royals with 26 guys from their own system are doing it the right way. Tampa and Atlanta have an embarrassingly low 13 homegrown guys on the 40-man.

[Aristotelian]

Would you trade anything of value for Aaron Hicks? I like him better than McKenna for now, but I would not rely on him to continue to OPS .800+ and he appears to have lost a step defensively (although he has great instincts and fundamentals). 

[ChosenOne21]

Hicks is a free agent after the season, so there's that, too. If someone offered an organizational top 20 pitcher for him, I'd probably ship him out. We'll be fine without him. We'll be fine with him.

[2001OriolesFan]

Trout is out with a hand injury. Hicks and Wagner for one of their top 12 prospects who pitch?   https://www.mlb.com/prospects/angels/  c    

[Sanfran327]

5 players for 4 positions is ideal because they all need rest at some point.

Same thing with our INF logjam, where we have 5 guys for 3 positions (Gunnar, Urias, Westburg, Mateo, Fraizer) excluding 1b. 

I wouldn't DFA Mateo yet, but he does not need to be starting on this team any longer. Just like I wouldn't trade away Hicks. Hicks is far better than McKenna, and removing HIcks means adding McKenna right back into the mix. 

We need to continue to maintain a solid bench. This situation is what makes the Ortiz/Kjerstad/Mountcastle situation so hard. IMO, you can't bring any of those guys up without an injury. Fortunately, we have several very good insurance policies if that happens.

[btdart20]

4 hours ago, HakunaSakata said:

I just saw a report that the Dodgers were in the market for a right handed bat because Chris Taylor's recovery isn't going is a quickly as they expected. They might be a fit. 

LAD looks like they may be a good trade partner from a few angles.  Except our gain from them wouldn't be at the MLB level.  Unless we find a third team to close the deal.