Things have not been easy for the Baltimore Orioles and their starting pitching staff this year.
During Spring Training, there was real concern that their emerging star Kyle Bradish would be shut down for the season with a UCL sprain. At the time, though, he received some Platelet-rich plasma injections in his elbow that seemed to be the solution for that injury.
Still, he and John Means were forced to miss time at the beginning of the year on the injured list.
Both of those players returned when healthy, providing the Orioles with the rotation they envisioned when they went out and traded for Corbin Burnes this winter.
Fast forward to now and their high-profile addition is the only Opening Day starter available on this roster as Bradish, Means, and Tyler Wells are all sidelined for the year after undergoing elbow surgeries, and Grayson Rodriguez is on the shelf with a concerning lat injury.
General manager Mike Elias was able to bring in some reinforcements at the deadline, trading for Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers, but their rotation continues to be snake bitten by health issues.
Baltimore could turn to their top prospect Cade Povich again, but he hasn’t shown the ability to get Major League hitters out at a consistent rate.
Knowing their internal options have some limitations, would they have interest in looking for an outside option to boost this rotation?
If so, then a long-time MLB pitcher is throwing for teams on Friday, with two contenders already showing interest in bringing him in for this final stretch of the regular season, and potentially into the playoffs.
Per Robert Murray of FanSided, 19-year veteran Rich Hill has drawn interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. He reports that “the data from recent throwing sessions have been positive, with his curveball remaining a plus-pitch.”
There was no indication that the Orioles are interested in reuniting with Hill who started eight games and pitched in nine for them back in the 2009 season.
Still, if Elias and the organization think they need a starting pitcher with Major League experience to bolster this unit for the remainder for the year, then Hill would be a cheap option they can turn to for the final two months of the season.
