Pirates owner Bob Nutting was willing to spend more than the Boston Red Sox for starting pitcher Rich Hill.
At this point, Rich Hill is 43 years old and at the tail end of a successful MLB career. Last season, he spent time with the Boston Red Sox and pitched to a 4.27 ERA and 4.08 FIP in a tough AL East division.
For Pittsburgh, Hill will pitch on a one-year prove it contract. If he succeeds, then perhaps the Bucs will too, and surprise some folks. If he plays well and the Pirates are still a mediocre product — which is far more likely — then the team can flip him at the trade deadline for prospects.
And there you have Pittsburgh’s grand plan. Ben Cherington and Co. have done this the last few offseasons. Signing top talents coming off a tough season is a productive way to rebuild, and add to an already-stocked farm system.
Boston Red Sox came up short for Rich Hill
To be fair to Chaim Bloom, is Rich Hill really worth $8 million? Perhaps for Pittsburgh, which desperately needed major-league ready pitching for next season, he is. Boston needs to take bigger swings, though, and Hill isn’t part of that equation at that price.
Hill pitched over 158 innings last season, the second-most of his big-league career. The 43-year-old received his MLB debut in 2007 with the Chicago Cubs.
The fact Hill is still pitching is impressive enough. In Pittsburgh, he’ll receive a player-friendly deal at $8 million in what could be his last season.
Boston needs pitching, too, but is likely focused on bringing back Nathan Eovaldi and others. The Red Sox rotation cupboard is bare at the moment and a bad offseason could get much worse if they don’t make some noise, and soon.