Rich Hill looks forward to 'challenge' with Pirates, who sign 42-year-old lefty as starter

As a 42-year-old starting pitcher, Rich Hill believes experience is the best teacher. So Hill knew his 18 seasons in the major leagues would be invaluable to a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates with a young staff that was looking for leadership.

Despite interest from what he called “a lot of teams,” the 6-foot-5, 221-pound left-hander formally signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday. Hill will be counted on to provide a veteran presence to round out a starting rotation that returns right-handed starters Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras and JT Brubaker and added 30-year-old righty Vince Velasquez in free agency.

“I think ultimately it’s coming in here and being able to provide the starting pitching role that is needed and also the veteran experience that is needed here,” Hill said Thursday inside the PNC Park clubhouse. “That’s something that I look forward to, with that challenge.”

Rich Hill on how his 18 years of MLB experience can be invaluable to a young team like the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/gcF93kzpEx

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 5, 2023

Hill, who turns 43 on March 11, has a career 82-59 record with a 3.85 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 350 appearances, including 221 starts. 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.

“Rich has been a consistent performer in tough environments and has built a terrific reputation as a pro,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement. “We wanted to add a left-handed starter to our group this offseason, and we believe he will be a great addition to our rotation.”

To make room for Hill on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated right-hander Zach Thompson for assignment. Thompson, 29, was 3-10 with a 5.18 ERA and 1.51 WHIP, 90 strikeouts, 46 walks and 19 home runs allowed in 121 2/3 innings over 29 appearances, including 22 starts, for the Pirates last season. He was acquired from the Miami Marlins, along with minor-league pitcher Kyle Nicolas and outfielder Connor Scott, in a trade for Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings in November 2021.

The Pirates are Hill’s 12th major-league team. He has played for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Oakland A’s, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets and had three stints in Boston. Hill will enter the season ranked ninth among all active left-handers in strikeouts (1,294), 10th in wins (82) and 12th in innings pitched (1,259).

One of the most memorable moments of Hill’s career came while pitching for the Dodgers against the Pirates on Aug. 23, 2017, at PNC Park, when he took a perfect game into the ninth inning. It became the first perfect-game bid in major-league history to end on an error, when Logan Forsythe booted a Jordy Mercer grounder, and the no-hit bid was lost when Josh Harrison hit a walk-off home run to lift the Pirates to a 1-0 win in the 10th inning.

Hill is the fifth player the Pirates have added through free agency, along with Velasquez ($3.15 million), first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana ($6.725 million), catcher Austin Hedges ($5 million) and lefty reliever Jarlin Garcia ($2.5 million, 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.

LHP Rich Hill talks about what attracted him to signing a 1-year, $8M deal with the Pirates, starting with his relationship with GM Ben Cherington from their days together in Boston. pic.twitter.com/uFupftzKK8

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 5, 2023

Hill cited a reunion with Cherington, a long-time Boston executive, as part of his excitement for joining their rebuilding process after back-to-back 100-loss seasons.

“Knowing Ben from Boston, understanding his ability to put together a roster for winning teams in that city, is translating here now in Pittsburgh to roster construction of having the upward movement into the winning side of baseball here in Pittsburgh,” Hill said. “That’s something that was very attractive for myself.

“That’s something that I think, given the opportunity here and the way the roster is being constructed currently, and what we’re looking forward to coming into this 2023 season, is really exciting. That type of challenge is something that I’ve been looking forward to. I believe there are a lot of positive things that are happening here and moving in the right direction for this season, becoming a winning team again.”