The New York Yankees, among other teams, are reportedly in full pursuit of left-handed pitcher and former Dodger, Rich Hill.
According to Jim Bowden of ESPN, the New York Yankees are “in full pursuit” of the veteran left-handed pitcher, Rich Hill.
Hill, 36, went 12-5 with a 2.12 earned run average in 20 games between the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016.
He struck out 129 batters all year and had an opponent’s batting average of .224 in the postseason, including six shutout innings against the World Champion Cubs in Game 3 of the NLCS.
This report doesn’t come as a surprise, we all know how badly the Yankees need a reliable pitching arm behind its questionable situation they are faced with.
Behind Masahiro Tanaka, who maintained the third best ERA in the AL, CC Sabathia,who’s coming off his best season since 2012, and Michael Pineda who was the AL Leader in strikeouts per nine innings, the Yankees have either unproven or dubious arms competing with each other for the last two spots.
Disclaimer: one could also assert that Pineda — who is one of six players in MLB history to strikeout more than 200 but to manage an ERA over 4.80 — is extremely unproven as well.
Competing for a place in 2017’s rotation is Luis Severino, who has to earn his way back after posting an 8.50 ERA in his sophomore year as a starter, Luis Cessa, who allowed 11 home runs in nine starts, Chad Green, who was shut down due to an elbow issue, and Bryan Mitchell, who has only made five major league starts.
Dietrich Enns, James Kaprielian and Jordan Montgomery are others who could make a name for themselves in Spring Training but, for now, the rotation contains depth. Not solidity.
Also according to the report, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are other teams that appear to be in on Hill. The Red Sox and Orioles are also in the mix, but “to a lesser degree.”
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. As mentioned, the rotation needs some upgrades in order to improve. With a market value of two years, $28 million at the least, one could wonder if Cashman, in the midst of a rebuild, would go that route despite the fact that Hill’s left arm is not quite the reliable one they’re looking for.
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