4 Baltimore Orioles who won't be back next season and why

3. Aaron Hicks won't be back with the Orioles despite his hot streaks

Baltimore sitting atop the entirety of the American League and the AL East had to make many a Yankees fan feel quite salty about the team that had often been viewed as the "lovable loser" leapfrogging them emphatically. But nothing rubbed salt in the wound quite like the acquistion of outfielder Aaron Hicks.

Hicks was a total eyesore for Yankees fans in New York. Despite the sizable contract he'd been handed a few years ago, he was a negative defender who was also producing next-to-nothing at the plate. That's why Brian Cashman ultimately had to bite the bullet and designate him for assignment, which is when Baltimore swooped in to pick him up amid injuries and a need for depth in their outfield.

After slashing .188/.263/.261 with the Yankees, though, he looked like a completely different player in Baltimore. Hicks slashed .275/.381/.425 with seven home runs, 15 extra-base hits, and 31 RBI over 65 games with the O's this season, giving the team a bonafide (albeit unexpected) jolt with his performance.

Set to become a free agent this offseason, however, Hicks just turned 34 years old and his career had been on a distinct downturn before he came to the O's. Again, this is a Baltimore franchise that is on the cusp of becoming a perennial contender with the young core that they've assembled. Banking on Hicks to be a player he really hasn't been consistently since 2020 or 2019 would be a fool's errand, and a decision that could backfire on them spectacularly if they were to re-sign him.

There's no denying the positive impact Hicks had on the Orioles once he joined the ball club. But the front office should thank him for that and send him on his way, not incur the risk that those 65 games weren't an outlier at this point in his career.