The Los Angeles Dodgers are short a left-handed reliever following Alex Vesia’s departure into free agency, and they could target New York Yankees free agent Tim Hill as a replacement.
“The Dodgers remain involved in trying to keep Vesia, though a source did say they have also checked in on left-handed reliever Tim Hill, as first reported by the New York Post,” Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic wrote.
Why Do the Dodgers Want Tim Hill?
Hill, who will enter 2027 at 37 years of age, is coming off of a middling season with the Yankees, during which he played replacement level baseball over the course of 67 appearances.
He had a 4.60 ERA last season through 58.2 innings pitched, allowing a career-high 12 homers during the season. That number, though, is a little bit of an outlier, as he had never allowed more than nine prior to this year and is just two years removed from a full season in which he allowed just two homers.
Hill is ordinarily a ground ball specialist due to his funky, submarine-esque arm slot and ability to pound the zone, and—despite his struggles last season—he paced the league with a 68.9% ground ball rate and had a 93rd percentile walk rate at 5.4%.
His strikeout and whiff percentages both grade in the first percentile of MLB, but his specialty makes him an incredibly unique case.
The Dodgers’ leader in ground ball rate last season was Will Klein, who had a 56% mark in 116 batted ball events. Only three Dodgers had a ground ball rate greater than 50%, those being Klein, Brock Stewart and Bobby Miller. Bringing in Hill as a double-play specialist could be a good move for the Dodgers, especially given his status as the top ground-ball-inducing pitcher in the league.
How Much Would the Dodgers Have to Pay Tim Hill?
Additionally, the Dodgers could add Hill to their roster for cheap, making him a low-risk option for the team this offseason.
While he doesn’t fit the same profile as Vesia, he will be significantly cheaper than the six-year Dodger, who Ardaya predicts will get a three-year contract with more than half of MLB chasing him this offseason.
Spotrac estimates Hill to land a one-year, 5.6 million contract, but given his age and his performances last season, his market could deteriorate and allow the Dodgers to bring him in on a small contract.
Would you want the Dodgers to sign Tim Hill?
