This is a kind of strange deal for both sides. Hill had expressed a desire to pitch in 2023, but, "maybe only half a season" with the idea he might sign once contenders were a sure thing (and the Pirates aren't likely to be one).

Do the Pirates need SP filler enough to take an $8M flier on Hill? I guess so.

I'm guessing the Pirates' GM assured him that they'd trade him to a contender if the Pirates weren't playing well. Of course, they'd be under no legal obligation to follow through on that, but they'd likely want to trade him in that situation anyway.

Rich is under no real obligation to play the full season. He's basically got someone to pay him to stay in shape amd allows contending teams to see what he can do. If the Pirates are out of it and Rich is doing well Cherington or whomever would be an idiot to hold onto him

I think the Pirates look at it as buying a lottery ticket. If Ben doesn't spend the 8 million now he doesn't get to spend 8 million extra next year. So use it and perhaps they catch lightning in a bottle or they can flip him for some prospects

The money doesn't work in the Dodgers' post-Bauer landscape, but I would've loved having Hill back.

Also exiting Boston, Nathan Eovaldi to Rangers, $34M/2 years.

A midseason trade could launch Hill into the rarefied air of the 13 franchise players.

Have we considered the possibility that Hill is The Missing Piece?

Well, they had to respond the Reds signing of Curt Casali! The race for 4th will be nothing if not dramatic!

Hill - the Cub, Oriole, Red Sock, Indian, Angel, Yankee, Red Sock (again), Athletic, Dodger, Twin, Ray, Met, Red Sock (yet again), and now Pirate.

has pitched in 18 consecutive MLB seasons. but IP totals include 4, 5, 8, 20, 24, 29, 39, and 58.

he qualified for the ERA title only in 2007 - along with Cub teammates Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Jason Marquis.

Backstops were Michael Barrett, Jason Kendall, Koyie Hill, Geovany Soto, and Henry Blanco - all of whom started between 13 and 52 games (with someone named Rob Bowen getting the other 9).

perhaps Hill learned something in his rookie season from teammate Greg Maddux.

the gold standard, in some ways, for the "modern starting pitcher."

you could've probably cut that down and made it more into a Haiku.

After 18 seasons mostly as a starter, Rich Hill is 38th on the active IP list, about 2000 behind the current leader, Zack Greinke. Hill will get those extra 2000 innings around the all star break in 2051 to move ahead of whoever is Zack Greinke in 2051.

Speaking of which, Greinke is still unsigned after a 2.6 WAR season. He certainly could still help many (most?) rotations. I am thinking Zack may have a very short list of teams for whom he’d be willing to play.

has pitched in 18 consecutive MLB seasons. but IP totals include 4, 5, 8, 20, 24, 29, 39, and 58.

Wow, I could have sworn he was out of baseball for a couple of seasons. I never would have guessed that. Obviously there are 3 years under 10 IP, but that still means he was on a roster and pitched. I just wouldn't have thought it.

Speaking of which, Greinke is still unsigned after a 2.6 WAR season. He certainly could still help many (most?) rotations. I am thinking Zack may have a very short list of teams for whom he’d be willing to play.

If Correa deal gets blown up, I'd definitely love having Greinke.

Wow, I could have sworn he was out of baseball for a couple of seasons. I never would have guessed that. Obviously there are 3 years under 10 IP, but that still means he was on a roster and pitched. I just wouldn't have thought it.

Same. He was excellent in 2007, got hurt, and then fell off my radar. For a while I thought he had a similar story to Prior's. Guy has a really good year starting for the Cubs and then gets wiped out by injuries, washing out of the big leagues but hoping against hope that he can make it back. Hill reestablished himself as a big leaguer, so his story had a happier ending, but I guess I never realized that he didn't truly wash out of the majors and that his injuries didn't ever appear to have totally destroyed him.

He's older than Prior, even though his breakout season came three years after Prior's. Just another thing making his one of the least likely MLB careers to reach nineteen seasons.

2012 may have been his most Rich Hill season ... in the Bos org:

1.1 IP at Rookie
2 IP at A
4 IP at A+
1 IP at AA
8 IP at AAA
19.2 IP at MLB

Across all 6 (!) levels, he had a 2.00 ERA. It's a shame he didn't get a stint in A- ball.

Greinke I suspect wants to stay near where he lives - Orlando Florida - so you'd think the Rays would take a flier on him - contending team, needs innings eaten with their always shifting roster, and a vet like Greinke (near HOF'er - with over 75 bWAR and 223 wins, but is just shy of 3000 K's (118 shy) you'd think he'd want 1 or 2 more seasons to crack 250 wins and 3000 K's which would help his HOF case with older voters. He has yet to win a WS but has been there twice. By traditional measures he is shy of the Hall (1 Cy, 6 ASG's are nice but not 'wow', never won 20 in a season, good K numbers but shy of 3000, 223 wins are good but guys with more didn't get a sniff), but by modern methods he should be a near lock (75 bWAR 65.5 fWAR isn't a lock though, I see 70 as 'lock' territory, 60 as very strong contender).

Rich Hill was also signed by the Cardinals in 2010, but didn’t make the team out of spring training and was optioned to AAA. He opted out of his contract mid-year to sign with the Red Sox.

Shame he didn’t get at least a cup of coffee that year…

I've always enjoyed Rich Hill's pitching stylings, with the big curve and the goofy body and all that. But now he's the last man older than me playing in the bigs, I think. May he pitch forever.

heh.. my ship sailed in that regard when RICKEY! retired from MLB.

Ichiro was the last one older than me. But he could still be playing if he wanted to.

sigh

remember when the ballplayers all looked older than our dads??? and then when we were all about the same age and thought - gee, if i was a leeeetle taller and more muscular that could be me out there? (some of us also had more, um, x-rated thought, but we won't go there) and now we're wondering how old do they have to be for us to not feel like we're a perv if we look at them and think they're HOTTTTTTTTTTTT

but i know the worst is coming and that is when we look at them and think, oh dammm, im old enough to be their PARENT

im old enough to be their PARENT

My dad is old enough to be the GREAT-grandfather of some of today's young stars, which is . . . something.

TomH, you're lucky. I started feeling old when Nolan Ryan retired!