MESA, Ariz. – At an age when many Major League pitchers begin pondering their life after baseball, 35-year-old Rich Hill is embarking on a new beginning in the game.
Actually, there have been many new beginnings.
The A’s are the ninth organization for the left-hander, or 10th if you count last summer’s stint with the independent-league Long Island Ducks.
Hill’s transaction history runs the gamut. He’s been released, non-tendered, traded and designated for assignment. But this winter brought a new twist in the form of a one-year, $6 million contract from Oakland, which was looking to add some veteran leadership to a rotation that is very green beyond All-Star ace Sonny Gray.