The Oakland Athletics will sign pitcher Rich Hill to a one-year, $6 million contract. The deal is contingent on a physical and was first reported by Baseball Essential’s Robert Murray.
The contract represents the culmination of a very nice turn of events for Hill over the past few months. The 35-year-old left-hander was able to leverage a brief yet effective stint with the Boston Red Sox this season into a $6 million payday.
Largely a journeyman throughout his 11-year major league career, Hill made just four starts for Boston in 2015. However, his impressive performance in those outings was enough to generate interest on the free agent market. According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, Hill left a bigger offer on the table to sign with Oakland, who reportedly guaranteed a rotation spot.
Hill began the 2015 campaign on a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals but was unable to crack the big league roster. In July he inked a deal with the independent Long Island Ducks. He didn’t need to wait long to get another shot at Major League Baseball, though, signing with the Red Sox on August 14.
Hill previously played with the Sox from 2010-2012, and returning to his hometown club appeared to rejuvenate the southpaw. He made his first start of the year on September 13, a scoreless seven-inning one-hitter against the Rays in which he struck out 10. Overall, Hill tossed 29 frames over four starts, allowing just 14 hits and five earned runs (1.55 ERA). He also fanned 36 while walking five. All of his outings came against other AL East teams.
It’s quite a small sample size, making Oakland’s willingness to slot Hill into its rotation a rather bold move. Nevertheless, the signing is the kind of risk-reward play that the A’s have become known for under Billy Beane. While Hill will almost surely not put up those kind of numbers over a full season, the A’s evidently feel confident that he can continue outperforming his career 4.54 ERA.
With Sonny Gray locked in as the team’s ace, Oakland can afford to be flexible with its remaining rotation spots. Jesse Chavez, Jesse Hahn and Kendall Graveman will all be options, among several others.
Hill could also make for a decent trade chip next season, depending on how things break for the A’s. Oakland has never shied away from midseason deals, even those involving recently acquired players (see this year’s Ben Zobrist trade). If Hill is having a nice season and the A’s are falling out of the playoff picture, they could try to flip him to a contender in need of pitching.
Oakland finished 2015 at a disappointing 68-94, landing them in the cellar of the AL West. Their Pythagorean record, however, suggests they should have been significantly better at 77-85. The A’s will hope that Rich Hill maintains his late renaissance and helps them get back on track in 2016.