Red Sox Reportedly Did Not Make Formal Offer To Pitcher Who Wanted To Return
The Boston Red Sox lost two starters from a season ago on the same day -- one of which would have returned had they made a fair offer.
Just hours before Nathan Eovaldi signed with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, Rich Hill inked a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
WEEI's Rob Bradford reported that the Red Sox never made a formal offer to Hill despite multiple discussions.
"We’ve talked and had lunch with a few of the guys in the front office, and understand that there’s a mutual interest there," Hill told Bradford on WEEI's "Bradfo Sho" back in October. "Being able to stay home would be great."
Hill, a Massachusetts native, was on his third stint with the Red Sox and seemingly wanted to return.
The crafty left-hander wanted to spend more time with his family and even tossed around the idea of taking the first half of the season off in 2023. Instead, he'll relocate to Pittsburgh.
Hill went 8-7 with a 4.27 ERA, 109-to-37 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.30 WHIP in 124 1/3 innings across 26 starts last season.
As Hill enters his age 43 season, it made sense for the Red Sox to move on. While it might have been tough to turn down a reunion with one of the most highly regarded players in baseball, it was the right call.
Hill will take his veteran leadership to a young Pirates roster that could learn a lot from one of the smartest pitchers in Major League Baseball.
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