Red Sox Fan-Favorite Shakes Of Retirement Buzz With New Deal

The former Red Sox hurler isn't hanging up his cleats...

Sep 6, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; An empty Fenway Park is seen during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

One former member of the Boston Red Sox is continuing his career in a somewhat surprising move.

Boston brought veteran pitcher Rich Hill back into the mix last year for his fourth stint at the big league level with the team. Hill saw time with the Red Sox from 2010-2012, 2015, 2022, and in 2024. Hill has seen action in 20 big league seasons, including stints with Boston, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Clevleland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Athletics, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, and the Los Angeles Angels.

Hill is 45 years old now, but he's not giving up his baseball dream. He signed a minor league deal with the red-hot Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, according to the team.

"We have signed LHP Rich Hill to a minor league contract. He will report to Surprise and is expected to join Omaha (AAA) soon," the Royals announced.

Hill has appeared in 386 games throughout his 20-year MLB career. He has a 4.01 career ERA over that span across 1,409 innings pitched. Unsurprisingly, there has been buzz about the possibility of his retirement due to his age over the last year. He pitched for Team USA in the Premier12 international baseball tournament in the fall and made it clear he would like to play again, but wasn't sure if a deal would come to fruition, as shared by USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale.

Of all of his time in the big leagues, he has never appeared in a game with Kansas City in the majors. That certainly could change, though, if he gets up to speed in the minors. Clearly, this guy doesn't want to hang up his cleats to the point where he's willing to go back to the minors at 45 years old. Hopefully, that doesn't last long and he returns to the majors soon.

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