Rich Hill gets a new contract, but not with the Red Sox

The ageless wonder meaning Rich Hill will move forward with his Major League Baseball career in the 2023 season.

Hill and the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed one-year, $8 million contract Tuesday, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Hill, who will turn 43 less than three weeks before opening day, is now set to play the 19th campaign of his highly respectable tenure in the League.

The veteran lefty showed he has something left in the tank in the 2022 season with the Red Sox. Hill logged 124 1/3 total innings for Boston, third most on the club behind Nick Pivetta and Michael Wacha, and posted an 8-7 record with a .427 ERA. Those efforts earned Hill a $3 million raise for next season, which will represent his highest base salary since the 2019 campaign.

It looks like it’s going to be a long season in Pittsburgh, they currently have the Pirates the third longest probability at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the 2023 World Series, but Hill will have the opportunity to mentor a team full of young players. Hill should also have the benefit of being able to pitch every fifth day for the Pirates, who don’t have a very good or deep pitching staff.

Red Sox fans won’t have to wait long to see Hill again, either. The Massachusetts native will be in Boston April 2-5 when the Pirates visit Fenway Park for a three-game series.