Dodgers Sign Rich Hill to Three-Year Deal Worth Reported $48M
The Los Angeles Dodgers pitching rotation got a boost on Monday morning when the team announced the signing of left-hander Rich Hill to a three-year deal.
Here's more from the team's official press release:
Hill, 36, was originally acquired by the Dodgers in a five-player trade with the Athletics on Aug. 1 and went 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts with Los Angeles. In three postseason starts for the Dodgers, he posted a 1-1 record with a 3.46 ERA (5 ER/13.0 IP), including firing 6.0 scoreless innings to pick up the win in NLCS Game 3 vs. the Cubs.
Overall, Hill went 12-5 with a 2.12 ERA in 20 starts with Los Angeles and Oakland last year, ranking among the Majors’ best (min. 100.0 IP) in ERA (2nd, behind only Clayton Kershaw, 1.69), opponents’ batting average (.195, 3rd) and WHIP (1.00, 5th) despite being limited by a blister and groin injury.
Hill has a 38-28 career record with a 4.10 ERA in 221 games (94 starts) in 12 MLB seasons with the Cubs (2005-08), Orioles (2009), Red Sox (2010-12, ‘15), Indians (2012), Angels (2014), Yankees (2014), Athletics (2016) and Dodgers (2016) after being selected in the fourth round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Michigan.
The Dodgers have 40 players on their 40-man roster.
Andy McCullough of the LA Times reported the terms of the deal:
The deal for Rich Hill is three years and $48 million.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) December 5, 2016
The deal is exactly what the Dodgers gave Scott Kazmir last offseason and puts Hill with the team through his age-39 season. The veteran left-hander gets this deal less than two years removed from pitching in the Atlantic Independent League.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Dodgers may already have a plan in place for taking care of Hill this season:
#Dodgers believe Hill can give them at least 120 high-quality innings per season, and that their depth can make up for any lack of quantity.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2016
With Julio Urías expected to be in the rotation as well, the Dodgers could opt to go with a six-man rotation at different times during the season.
Now that Hill is back, the Dodgers will look toward bringing back Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen as well as improving the team in other ways.
