Dodgers Free Agency News: Rich Hill Signs Contract With AL Team
Undeniably, it’s a sad day to be a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. Now forever, the final day of the 2010’s decade will be the day that Rich Hill signed a one year deal with the Minnesota Twins.
The announcement came on Tuesday afternoon from a variety of sources, with the Twins officially announcing it with some pizzaz on their twitter account.
AND welcome to MN, Rich Hill! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/ikfVO7HEbJ
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) December 31, 2019
Furthermore, the Twins also signed free agent starting pitcher Homer Bailey alongside Hill. While Jeff Passan has a little more detail on the transaction, he actually calls the process Hill underwent in 2019 ‘modified Tommy John’. Obviously, this is interesting.
The Twins are guaranteeing $10 million to get innings from Homer Bailey and top-end performance from Rich Hill upon his return from modified Tommy John. It’s a low-risk pair of signings — and leaves them room to go big for a Josh Donaldson. Twins are a very well-thought-of org.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 31, 2019
Hill started 13 games for the Dodgers in 2019, striking out 78 hitters in just 58.2 innings pitched. Altogether he had an ERA of 2.45 and a 4-1 record.
It will be interesting to see Hill’s effectiveness in the American league, and also his usage profile. Perhaps it will help prolong his career since so many teams around baseball are now using a starting pitcher as an opener, allowing Hill the possibility to throw just one time through the batting order before being pulled for a reliever.
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Remember, Hill came over from the AL in 2016 in a trade from the Oakland Athletics. At the time, it was a move that helped propel the Dodgers to another NL West division title. Hill went 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA down the stretch in six starts for the team that season.
Finally, there’s not a starting pitcher I adore more than Rich Hill. While I can’t say it much better than I did in this post, I’ll sum it up with one final memory.
In the 2018 NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, a tiring Hill faced Christian Yelich with the bases loaded. It was in Los Angeles, and one of the bigger spots in that entire series. Hill ended up striking out Yelich – freezing him with several of the nastiest curveballs he’s thrown in his life. The moment gave me chills.
Thanks for the memories Dick Mountain, and congratulations on finding a new home. You will be missed.
Why not say Hill signed with the Twins in the headline instead of “AL Team”?
Thank you Twins. $3 mil guaranteed and up to $9.5 mil with incentives (15 starts not happening) for half a year. No room for him on the Dodgers 40 man roster. Good luck in Minnesota!
He may average giving up a HR an inning in that ballpark!!!
Thank heavens. Let him hold a spot on the Twins dl instead of ours.
My thoughts exactly. We already know he’ll miss half the season, and he isn’t exactly known to bounce back quick from injuries. THEN he will of course get a blister on his finger, 3 innings into his first start, and be down again. You don’t win pennants relying on 40 year old guys.
So long Dick Mountain
Folks, I go along with the consensus on here but Dodgers haven’t done anything of significance in response to that embarrassing game 5 NLDS elimination in October. At least the Twins are trying to improve…
Bye Grandpa Felicia. Don’t let the door hit your fat butt on the way out of LA.
Great name
But in the AL we won’t get to witness his ‘colorful’ at bats ??
JUST GLAD FUDMAN DID NOT SIGN HILL,ONLY SMART THING FUDMAN HAS DONE SO FAR
As one of the few Dodgers who actually upped his game in the postseason, I will miss Rich Hill.
He had an aggressiveness that led to postseason excellence . Buehler’s confidence/arrogance has given him the ace status that he elevates in the postseason. You have to have some attitude to win. I wish Rich Hill well. I know he’ll play as long as he can, as well as he can, because he loves the game, and embraces pressure situations that make lesser players buckle.
I’ll miss him too. All the best Rich and family.
I believe fans are more concerned about some of those arms that signed elsewhere including Ryu with the Blue Jays instead of Hill signing with Twins. Hill won;t be ready until June or July and he will be 40. The lack of activity over all since the game 5 elimination is more of the issue with most of us
Paul, maybe we’ re so sick of watching the same movie with the same ending, using the same actors and the same budget, that we have lost all faith and hope in this leadership! I guess they haven’t given us any reason to be optimists! But I’ll bet you that the Yankees, Nat’s, Braves,Mets fans are extremely optimistic about their chances to win it all in 20! They all have been active and you know the’ re not done yet! Your right, as soon as that 5 th game choke job, we knew this org was Done !!!!
Of course, the previous posters are convinced – as is the LA Front Office – that Urias, May and Gonsolin will all blossom into #1 starters! The vast majority of young pitchers suffer from sophomore slumps because teams on the major league level adjust very quickly. Right now there are staff on the other NL west teams pouring over tape to find the holes. And they will find them. The only question is whether the kids can adjust to the adjustments. If they don’t it’s going to be a longer season than expected with only one truly “experienced” starter in the rotation.
One truly experienced starter? Kershaw and Buehler are both pretty experienced. And Maeda too. And the chances of Hill actually being in the starting rotation for more than a month, and going more than four innings in a start are almost non-existent. Better taking chances on young arms than 40 yr old broken down ones.
More money in the pocket of Kasten! Got rid of Hill, opens up another roster spot for one of the many single A pitchers to make the big league club to be ” developed”
Let’s count down the proven frontline pitchers in the Dodgers starting rotation now:
Walker Buehler
Clayton Kershaw
Kent’s Maeda *
* Better out of the bullpen than as a starter.
Will the Dodgers have the least proven starters of any team in baseball? Probably not. Some teams don’t have any. But will they have the least proven starters among contenders? I think so.
Ditto!
And Hill not being available until July (if then) would help this how? By the time he would be able to give us his typical four inning, we should have a settled rotation.
We would have a settled rotation that included at least one and probably two rookie pitchers who maxed out their season pitch counts during the regular season and would be tapped out and unavailable for the postseason. How could they help in the postseason? For starting pitchers it takes one partial season and another full season to go from a short minor league season, to a capable 162 game MLB season. No matter how well May, Gonsolin, and Urias pitch initially, none of them is prepared for a full season as a starter, much less going deep into the postseason. If you try to force them to do that, you could ruin their arms. They could end up going from prospects to the ash heap before their careers even get started. Rookie starting pitchers are unlike any other rookies on a baseball team. You can throw the other guys in the lineup every day. But you have to baby a young pitchers arm, and ease him into a full-time status or you will ruin him.
Any of the Friedman Fanboys on this site know when Andrew gets back from his Christmas break? He seems to have been off since Dec. 15.
It doesn’t matter if Friedman is here or on holiday with Stan, he won’t do anything significant to impact the roster either way.
Casey, that is true because the $$$ is all going to those stadium renovations, but not the team on the field. IIWII.
I have followed baseball for over 55 years Dave Robert’s and his decisions r why the dodgers have failed in playoffs great managers have to have more trust in staying with the regulars Kershaw in relief at 90 mph get real