The Pittsburgh Pirates found the left-hander they were looking to add to their starting rotation, agreeing to a one-year, $8 million contract with 42-year-old Rich Hill, pending a physical.
Hill, who turns 43 on March 11, has an 82-59 career record with a 3.85 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 350 appearances, including 221 starts, over 18 seasons. He was 8-7 with a 4.27 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 124 1/3 innings over 26 starts for the Boston Red Sox last season, averaging 7.9 strikeouts and 2.7 walks per nine innings.
Hill has a five-pitch repertoire but leans primarily upon a curveball against which opponents batted .231 and a four-seam fastball that averages 88.5 mph. He also throws a cutter, slider and changeup.
One of the most memorable moments of Hill’s career came while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Pirates on Aug. 23, 2017, when he took a perfect game into the ninth inning at PNC Park. It became the first perfect game bid in major-league history to end on an error, when Logan Forsythe booted a Jordy Mercer grounder. Hill had a no-hitter intact when the game went into extra innings before Josh Harrison hit a walk-off home run to lift the Pirates to a 1-0 win. Hill finished with 10 strikeouts and no walks allowed.
Hill has played for 11 teams in his career. Drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago Cubs out of the University of Michigan in 2002, Hill has spent time with the Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Red Sox (three times), Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Oakland A’s, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets.
The signing of Hill marks the continuation of an offseason makeover of the Pirates, who have added a handful of veterans to one of the youngest teams in baseball.
Hill is the fifth player the Pirates have added through free agency, joining first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana ($6.725 million), right-hander Vince Velasquez ($3.15 million), catcher Austin Hedges ($5 million) and lefty reliever Jarlin Garcia, who has agreed to a $2.5 million deal with a club option for 2024.
The Pirates also acquired first baseman/designated hitter Ji-Man Choi, righty reliever Dauri Moreta and outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe through trades, selected lefty reliever Jose Hernandez from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Rule 5 Draft and claimed outfielder/third baseman Ryan Vilade off waivers from the Colorado Rockies.
