Dodgers cult hero finally talking like retirement is around the corner

The last time Rich Hill had any form of stability at the major league level, he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers traded for Hill at the 2016 trade deadline and rewarded the veteran starting pitcher with a three-year deal worth $48 million the following offseason.

The contract took Hill up to his age-40 season in 2020, and conventional wisdom suggested that would have been the appropriate time to call it a career. Baseball was facing a shortened season due to the pandemic, and there was nothing left for Hill to prove.

A former Chicago Cubs' top pitching prospect, Hill had stops with all the iconic franchises, including the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, and ending his career with the Dodgers seemed fitting.

But Hill has developed somewhat of a cult following after his time with the Dodgers. He's become the go-to veteran arm for teams in need of pitching, having stoped with the Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Diego Padres over the last five years.

Hill's most recent stop was for a cup of coffee with the Kansas City Royals last season. Hill made two starts with the Royals, giving up five runs on nine hits and eight walks, in nine innings of work. Now 45 years old, he was an "in case of an emergency, break glass" option for Kansas City last season, and it seems that he isn't itching to serve in that role next season.

Rich Hill just gave his strongest hint yet that retirement is around the corner

During an appearance on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast, Hill didn't quite say he was retiring, but he walked up to the line. He revealed that he has no plans on pitching in 2026, which will likely will pave the way for a retirement announcement in the weeks ahead.

Assuming Hill doesn't get the itch to pitch (at this point, you can't rule it out), he would join an impressive group of Dodgers pitchers who have hung up their cleats this offseason. Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw walked into the sunset after Los Angeles won the World Series, and former pitchers Joe Kelly and Andrew Heaney recently announced their retirements.

For reference, Hill's major league debut was three years before Kershaw appeared at the major league level with the Dodgers, seven years before Kelly's major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals, and nine years before Heaney.

It seems that Father Time has finally caught up to Hill, but let's be honest. If the Dodgers are in a pinch at any point during the summer and they come calling, he'll likely answer.