Up until this point, there had been a through line connecting all of Chris Getz's acquisitions during his first winter as general manager of the White Sox. From Nicky Lopez to Paul DeJong to Erick Fedde to Max Stassi to Martín Maldonado, every one of them ostensibly helps the White Sox's issues with run prevention, even if run production is treated as an afterthought.
Now here comes left-handed reliever Tim Hill on a one-year, $1.8 million deal with the White Sox, who designated Declan Cronin for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. While he theoretically joins the run-prevention effort because it's in his job description, it's harder to say how he'll help.
Hill, 33, was non-tendered by the San Diego Padres earlier this winter after an ineffective, injury-shortened season. Like Aaron Bummer, Hill posted an ugly ERA for a ground-balling lefty (5.48). Unlike Bummer, Hill's ERA matched his FIP (5.49). He struck out only 26 batters over 44⅓ innings while giving up a whopping 59 hits, seven of which left the yard. He barely pitched during the second half of the season as he dealt with a ligament issue in his left ring finger.
At his best, Hill throws two different fastballs from an unusual sidewinding arm slot with some of the league's best extension, allowing him to generate suboptimal contact all over the strike zone. His ground-ball rate remains impressive, but after losing two ticks of velocity over the last two years, his mistakes get hit a lot harder.
He still kept lefties somewhat in check ...
- 2022: .208/.301/.236
- 2023: .275/.352/.400
... but righties crow-hopped into their swings:
- 2022: .280/.328/.365
- 2023: .378/.431/.602
Another wrinkle is that Hill's ERA masked a whopping nine unearned runs. The White Sox's fortified infield should theoretically help him in this regard, but the Padres had one of the better infields in baseball.
Looking into it, it turns out six of Hill's unearned runs stemmed from his own errors. He committed three ugly throws over two games four days apart, and they led to some ugly innings.
All that is why the Padres non-tendered Hill instead of paying him a projected salary of $2.4 million. That the White Sox signed Hill for $600,000 less means San Diego judged the market correctly. It remains to be seen if the White Sox did the same, because none of Hill's arrows are pointing in the right direction.
The White Sox do need some veteran ballast in the bullpen, because after trading Joe Kelly, Kendall Graveman, Keynan Middleton and Bummer while buying out the injured Liam Hendriks, the 2024 bullpen was down to Gregory Santos and Garrett Crochet. There's lots of room for seemingly inconsequential signings, and even a meh season from Hill serves a purpose.
Or perhaps the bullpen vacancies are an excuse for the White Sox continue their quest to employ as many of the 2019 Royals as possible.
- Pedro Grifol
- Tim Hill
- Martín Maldonado
- Billy Hamilton
- Nicky Lopez
- Cheslor Cuthbert
- Jake Diekman
There's some reason to believe in some sort of rebound, because's Hill's ERA remained ordinary until the finger issue took hold. His second half comprised an aborted restart after the All-Star break and two unsuccessful returns from the injured list before he resorted to season-ending surgery:
- First half: 40 G, 38.2 IP, 40 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 11 BB, 24 K, 6 HR, 3.72 ERA, 5.35 FIP
- Second half: 8 G, 5.2 IP, 19 H, 14 R, 11 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 17.47 ERA, 6.43 FIP
And the injury marks the start of his velocity slide as well:
This is the first offseason with Brian Bannister directing the White Sox's pitching efforts, so there's reason to be a little more open-minded than usual when it comes to the Sox buying low. On the other hand, the White Sox have a pretty abysmal track record when signing guys off season-ending surgeries, whether it's Andrew Benintendi, Joe Kelly or Kelvin Herrera. Skepticism is warranted, but nobody can accuse the White Sox of overinvesting in the bullpen at this point.
Hill has overcome the odds a couple of times in his career. He's accrued 5½ years of service time after being drafted in the 32nd round in 2014, and then his first full pro season was delayed because he spent all of 2015 battling Stage 3 colon cancer. As disappointing and difficult as 2023 might've been for him, he's seen worse.
