Pair of top NL pitchers thriving in starting roles with new teams

Lopez signed with the Washington Nationals in June 2012 as an amateur free agent and made it to the majors four years later on July 19, 2016.

The right-hander made 11 appearances (six starts) that year before being traded to the Chicago White Sox in December 2016. Lopez was a White Sox starting rotation member through the 2020 campaign before shifting to the team's bullpen (making occasional starts) in 2021.

Before this season, his most recent start came as an opener with Chicago against the Texas Rangers on June 10, 2022.

Lopez was traded to the Los Angeles Angels on July 26 but was waived in late August. Lopez and longtime teammate Lucas Giolito were selected off waivers by the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 31 and finished the year with the AL Central club.

Hicks was a third-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015 and spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the team until being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 30.

He earned 20 saves in 102 games across his first two seasons with St. Louis in 2018 and 2019 before opting out of the 2020 pandemic-altered campaign. Hicks was limited to 10 relief appearances in 2021 before missing the rest of the year with a right elbow injury.

He opened 2022 as the Cardinals' fifth starter and made only eight starts that season before returning to the bullpen. Hicks went 3-9 with 12 saves and career highs in games finished (26) and strikeouts (81) in 65 appearances last season, along with a 3.29 ERA and 1.35 WHIP between St. Louis and Toronto.

The 27-year-old signed a four-year, $44M deal with the Giants in January.