Pittsburgh Pirates sign left-hander Rich Hill

Image courtesy of SI.com

Milton native Rich Hill will pitch a 19th season, however it will not be with the Boston Red Sox. Hill and the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal on Tuesday. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Jeff Passan @JeffPassan

Left-hander Rich Hill and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement on a one-year, $8 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. Hill, who turns 43 in March, is entering his 19th big league season after making 26 starts and throwing 124.1 innings for Boston this year.

The veteran southpaw spent the entire 2022 season in Boston. Hill, who will turn 43 in March, was effective in 26 starts pitching to a 4.27 ERA in 124 1/3 innings. In his final five starts with the Red Sox, Hill was effective. During that stretch he posted a 2.36 ERA and struck out 30 in 26 2/3 innings.

Hill becomes the latest Red Sox free agent to depart for another organization this winter. He expressed interest in returning to the Red Sox but a contract was never offered, per WEEI’s Rob Bradford.

Kutter Crawford gained confidence something to build on for 2023?

Hill will now join a young Pirates rotation featuring right-handers Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras, Luis Ortiz and Johan Oviedo. The Pirates also added right-handed veteran Vince Velasquez to the mix prior to Hill.

The Red Sox reportedly expressed some interest in Hill but ultimately will need to look elsewhere for rotation options. Nathan Eovaldi remains unsigned but his market has begun to heat up in the recent days. Corey Kluber is available but west coast clubs are expressing interest in his services. Michael Wacha could return, his market has been incredibly quiet. The Orioles have reportedly shown interest.

Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique

For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.