The Diamondbacks continue to search for more bullpen help. Following their big acquisition of Corbin Burnes, the team has been relatively quiet in the month of January. But they're about to get back in the swing of things, it would seem.
The latest report from SI's Pat Ragazzo lists Arizona as one of six teams showing interest in sidewinding left-hander Tim Hill.
The Diamondbacks' reported interest in the left-hander is odd, given that general manager Mike Hazen told The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro that they are looking for another late-inning option. Despite Hazen’s best efforts, the team has failed to acquire Devin Williams, Kirby Yates, and Ryan Helsley this offseason.
While the team continues the search for their next closer one thing is for certain: Hill is not going to fill that role.
Source: Free agent lefty reliever Tim Hill is drawing interest from the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rockies and Angels
— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) January 28, 2025
There’s mutual interest on a reunion with the Yankees who remain in the mix, as do the Mets who are searching for another reliever
Hill is coming off a strong run with the New York Yankees, pitching to a 2.05 ERA in 35 appearances. Despite a microscopic 10.7% strikeout rate, he kept hitters honest by holding them to a 68.9% ground ball rate. His expected ERA (xERA), which takes into account his strikeout rate, walk rate, and quality of contact against, had him at 3.46 during his time in New York.
Who would Tim Hill potentially replace on the Diamondbacks' roster?
Should Arizona sign Hill, they’ll likely open the season with three left-handers in their bullpen. AJ Puk and Joe Mantiply are both roster locks and already have their roles set up for them in 2024. That leaves Kyle Nelson as the player who could be left on the outside for a roster spot.
Nelson struggled in 2024, pitching to a 4.22 ERA before needing surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome in May. It’s unclear if the issue affected his overall season performance, but the peripherals were not kind for the 28-year-old left-hander. His 5.82 xERA suggests a potential performance issue.
Given the small sample of innings, it’s difficult to put much stock into that performance. Even though he was a potential non-tender candidate, the Diamondbacks elected to tender him and settled at $825K in his first year of salary arbitration eligibility. Nelson has two options left on his deal so the team could send him to the minors for two more seasons, giving the team some left-handed reliever depth.
Adding Hill could perhaps take the pressure off some of the existing members of the bullpen at a reasonable price, so stay tuned for Arizona's movement on this front.