MLB Free Agency 2017: 5 potential teams for Rich Hill
Rich Hill is one of the most intriguing free agents in the MLB class of 2017. Where will the starting pitcher land?
Rich Hill was on the verge of being out of professional baseball in 2015. He was pitching for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League. Midway through the season, Hill found his way back into affiliated baseball with the Boston Red sox. Somehow, at the age of 35, things clicked for the journeyman left-hander.
Hill made four starts for the Red Sox at the end of the 2015 season, and went 2-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 29 innings. Prior to his resurrection, Hill’s best season in the big leagues had come in 2007. The starter parlayed his dominance with the Red Sox into a one-year deal with the Oakland A’s. For the A’s, it was the perfect way to take a low-risk gamble on Hill and then flip him at the trade deadline.
Between his time with the A’s and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Hill made 20 starts in 2016 and went 12-5 with a 2.12 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 110.1 innings of work. The 36-year-old relies heavily on two pitches: his four-seam fastball and curveball. His curve is one of the best in the league, and he used it for 73 strikeouts.
Hill is intriguing as a free agent because he doesn’t come with draft-pick compensation tied to his name. He should be seeking a three-year deal similar to the one John Lackey signed with the Chicago Cubs last offseason. Taking a three-year gamble on a pitcher who was essentially on the fringes of the big leagues from 2008 to 2015, however, may be difficult for some teams. Hill has the potential to be the most impactful starter on the market this offseason, but he still has to prove he can handle a full season of work. A groin and hand injury landed him on the DL twice in 2016.
There will be no shortage of suitors in a weak market. Here are the five teams that are most likely to emerge as potential landing spots for Hill.
Los Angeles Dodgers
It might seem impossible to have too much starting pitching in the major leagues, but the Dodgers’ 40-man roster is overflowing with arms working their way back from various injuries and surgeries. Outside of Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers have millions of dollars committed to starters who may never throw another effective pitch for them.
Hill was acquired primarily as a rental at the deadline, and the Dodgers got only six regular-season starts and three postseason starts from him. He was incredibly effective, carrying over his performance from the American League. According to reports, the Dodgers are at least interested in exploring the possibility of a reunion with Hill.
Last year, the Dodgers made very little effort to re-sign Zack Greinke, letting him walk to the highest bidder. The current front office is still working through the quagmire left behind by previous regimes, and the current roster includes starting pitchers Alex Wood, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-jin Ryu. Scott Kazmir was signed last winter, and underwhelmed in his first season in LA. Injuries also held back Kazmir, whose story is vaguely similar to Hill’s.
The Dodgers can afford to re-sign Rich Hill for a three-year deal, but how seriously they hope to court him remains to be seen. Behind Kershaw and Kenta Maeda, the Dodgers are still crossing their fingers and hoping for the best, which is what led them to trade for Hill in the first place. Dodger Stadium and the NL West (outside of Colorado) are outstanding places to pitch, and Hill’s late-career resurgence could continue there.