Rich Hill To Red Sox? 41-Year-Old Acknowledges Free Agency ‘Interest’

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, let’s focus on another annual tradition: the question of whether Rich Hill will return to the Boston Red Sox in free agency.

It’s been a topic of conversation each winter since 2019, the final season of a three-year, $48 million contract Hill signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2017 campaign. And speculation only intensified this week when the 41-year-old told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier he “100 percent” intends to pitch in 2022 and that a reunion with the Red Sox isn’t off the table.

“There is an interest, without a doubt,” Hill said, per Speier. “There’s a need on the other end. (But) the need for starting pitching is very apparent throughout the league — not just in Boston. It’s also many other clubs that need it.”

The exact level of interest — on either side — remains unclear. After all, Hill, who acknowledged talking with the Red Sox in free agency last offseason, still has relationships within the organization. Perhaps the dialogue was more informal than anything.

(As Speier noted, Hill has signed with Boston six times as a free agent in his major league career.)

But it’s an idea at least worth exploring as Boston searches for starting pitching depth. Hill was mostly solid in 2021, posting a 7-8 record with a 3.86 ERA, a 4.34 FIP and a 1.21 WHIP across 158 2/3 innings in 32 appearances (31 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets. The left-hander seemingly represents a low-cost alternative to some of the bigger names available on the open market.

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“Things add up over the years. As the years go on, so does the wisdom,” Hill, who turns 42 in March, told Speier. “You really have a solid game plan, outing after outing, as far as being able to peak and be your best every fifth day. And that’s what I was able to accomplish last year.”

The Red Sox already lost a piece of their rotation this offseason when Eduardo Rodriguez signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Tigers. Signing Hill, a veteran of 17 major league seasons, wouldn’t exactly offset that loss, especially since he’s been hampered by injuries in recent years, but he’s a viable depth option for any club willing to temper its expectations from a workload standpoint.

Of course, Boston reportedly agreeing to a deal with pitcher Michael Wacha on Friday could limit the need for a starter like Hill as the Red Sox build their rotation around Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta for 2022. Still, Hill is a name worth keeping in mind until he finds his next team.

Hill, whose career renaissance really began with his impressive four-start stint for Boston in 2015, didn’t just show last season that he has gas left in the tank. He’s also a local guy — a Milton, Mass., resident — who considers the Red Sox among the “upper echelon” of MLB franchises he’s spent time with.