The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner is dropping truth bombs, making it clear Tim Hill’s time with the New York Yankees is likely finished, and an MLB insider would be “surprised” if the reliever returns for another season. It sounds like the Yankees’ bullpen is about to look seriously different this offseason, and Hill is probably the first big name heading for the door.
Those Numbers Just Don’t Lie
Hill’s been with the Yankees for parts of the last three seasons, but his performance this year just didn’t cut it. The dude posted a 4.60 ERA, which is rough, and he coughed up 12 home runs. That’s tied for the second-most among all relievers who pitched at least 50 innings. Twelve dingers! But the real killer? Right-handed hitters absolutely crushed him, hitting a ridiculous .908 OPS. You read that right: .908 OPS against righties. Kirschner nailed it when he said that kind of stat makes a pitcher “unusable against teams without a lineup loaded with lefties.” What’s a manager supposed to do with that?
From Lefty Specialist to Left Out
What makes Hill’s situation even more definitive is the way the Yankees’ bullpen has evolved. They really don’t need a pure lefty specialist like they might have before. Brent Headrick’s been on the rise, and Ryan Yarbrough has been finding success, both cutting into any potential role Hill had. Because of his struggles against right-handed hitters and just general ineffectiveness, the Yankees even left him off the postseason roster! Talk about a cold shoulder. Remember Game 1 of the 2024 World Series? Aaron Boone famously opted for Nestor Cortes instead of Hill when Freddie Freeman stepped up to the plate. That’s the kind of move that screams “we don’t trust you here anymore.” While Hill, at his best, is a funky sidewinder who can generate a ton of ground balls, those flashes clearly weren’t enough this year.
So, while Hill might be a solid arm for *someone’s* bullpen out there, it just isn’t going to be the Yankees. They’ve got six relievers hitting free agency after the World Series, including Michael Fulmer, Ryan Yarbrough, John Schreiber, Paul Blackburn, and David Bednar, alongside Hill. The Yankees are staring down an offseason with a seriously thin bullpen, and that arm barn is about to get a complete overhaul. What moves are they gonna make to rebuild it? We’ll be watching to see how they fill these crucial holes.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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