St. Louis Cardinals fans bid traded pitcher Jordan Hicks farewell, wish him the best in his new home
By trading reliever Jordan Hicks, the St. Louis Cardinals are continuing on a trajectory that many of their fans have branded a "fire sale". Those concerns are not being voiced quietely.
However, in the case of Hicks, Cardinals fans seemed genuinely happy for the 26-year old after their team announced that he had been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 30. After a rocky start to his MLB career, Hicks is beginning to see results. While his 1-6 record is not pretty, he has amassed a career-best 3.67 ERA in 40 appearances this season, eight of which have been registered as saves.
With the move, the Toronto Blue Jays, still in the third and final AL Wild Card spot, are beginning to take their postseason aspirations seriously. The team took to Twitter to notify their fans of the acquisition.
OFFICIAL: We’ve acquired RHP Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals in exchange for Minor League RHPs Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein.
Welcome to the fam, @Jhicks007! pic.twitter.com/UceLI1J2sL
"OFFICIAL: We’ve acquired RHP Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals in exchange for Minor League RHPs Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein. Welcome to the fam, @jhicks007" - Toronto Blue Jays
In response to the Jays' Twitter post, many comments from St. Louis Cardinals fans began to appear. Generally, they were wishing Jordan Hicks well in his new home north of the border, and assuring Toronto Blue Jays fans of their new reliever's strength in the role.
@BlueJays @Jhicks007 Cardinals fan here. This is the ONE guy of all the players we’re trading that we should have kept.
He is finally coming in to his own. Hicks can’t be squared up, period.
Jays are getting a stud.
@BlueJays @Jhicks007 @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX @Sportsnet @FAN590 Congrats blue birds. He’s a pretty good kid. That him well!
@BlueJays @Jhicks007 @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX @Sportsnet @FAN590 Alright Jays fans, don't panic when Hicks allows one or two guys to reach base, it's just how he rolls. He'll most likely get out of the jam more times than not.
Hicks, a native of Texas, was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He has been pitching out of the Cards' bullpen since 2018, although he excersized his opt-out option in the pandemic-impacted season of 2020.
@BlueJays @Jhicks007 @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX @Sportsnet @FAN590 Enjoy him. He's going to be great there
@BlueJays @Ken_Rosenthal @Jhicks007 @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX @Sportsnet @FAN590 Take care of him!
@BlueJays @Ken_Rosenthal @Jhicks007 @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX @Sportsnet @FAN590 Thank you for everything Hicks
Hicks is also the latest in a littany of pitching moves from the Cards. Hours after they acquired New York Mets ace Max Scherzer in the trade of the year to the, the Texas Rangers sent some prospects to the Cards in exchange for starter Jordan Montgomery and relief man Chris Stratton.
@BlueJays @Jhicks007 @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX @Sportsnet @FAN590 Bye Jordan, we love you!
@BlueJays @Jhicks007 @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX @Sportsnet @FAN590 Bye bye Jordan, give em the heat
@BlueJays @Jhicks007 @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX @Sportsnet @FAN590 Take good care of him. I hope Pete can get the best out of him.
With a record of 47-60, the St. Louis Cardinals are unlikely to get anywhere near the season, as they currently stand back of the NL Central lead by 10.5 games. Currently, the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds are knotted at the top of the division.
Goodwill from St. Louis Cardinals fans paves the way for Jordan Hicks in Toronto
With a combined ERA of just 3.65, the Jays' bullpen has been the third-best in baseball this year. With the addition of Hicks from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Jays will be able to give fans peace of mind when it comes to securing pitching options for a potentially very taxing, yet rewarding postseason run.