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« Gammons On Matthews, Teahen, Harang, Peavy | Main | Reds Release Daryle Ward, Aaron Fultz »
Padres Sign Shawn Hill
According to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, the Padres signed pitcher Shawn Hill to a minor league deal. Hill was released by the Nationals on Wednesday and also drew interest from the Blue Jays. San Diego is a great match, as he'll presumably have a rotation spot if healthy. A bonus for the Padres: they'll have the chance to keep Hill under team control through 2012 as an arbitration-eligible player.
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So, explain to me again why the Nats cut him loose?
Posted by: Chacho | March 23, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Chacho, the Nationals cut Shawn Hill because he usually goes about 3 starts between injuries. He has a permanent complaint about mysterious arm pain which Dr. James Andrews has checked out and says isn't due to structural damage - but it persists. The Nationals cut Hill after he pitched a spring training game without pain, but he had been restricted to playing catch only a week before that. He just can't be counted on to stay in a rotation - as talented as he is.
Posted by: brianrein | March 23, 2009 at 12:44 PM
Great sign. He's got a lot of talent and potential and even if it doesn't pan out, he's very cheap. Low risk, high reward. I love it.
Posted by: Umair | March 23, 2009 at 01:06 PM
Thanks Brian. But why did they not just send the guy to the minors? I don't think that he was out of options or anything. The fact that they could not pencil him in for 30 starts puts the guy in good company with a LOT of pitchers. If the kid can make 10 starts this year he would have paid for his contract several times over, bo?
Posted by: Chacho | March 23, 2009 at 01:21 PM
Got me there. I don't know why they didn't send him down, but it seemed like that option was never even mentioned.
Posted by: brianrein | March 23, 2009 at 01:28 PM
He was signed to a major league contract, and therefore (since he was out of options) could not be sent to the minors without either his agreement (which he apparently did not give) or going through waivers (which it's apparent he would not have cleared).
Posted by: Steven J Berke | March 23, 2009 at 01:37 PM
So, why not waive the guy and make a team claim him? Aren't the Nats on the hook for the remainder of his major league deal now? Sorry if I am asking dumb questions here.
Posted by: Chacho | March 23, 2009 at 01:49 PM
" Aren't the Nats on the hook for the remainder of his major league deal now?"
Hill was released on March 18th, the last day a team could unconditionally release a player and only be responsible for 30-days of their salary. Between 03/18/09 & 04/01/09 teams are responsible for 45-days of salary, after that it's the full year's. So Wash owed Hill around $127K after cutting him instead of his full $775K salary. It's not a ton of $$$, seems like they could've kept him around for that much, but maybe freeing it up was necessary for the Beimel deal.
Posted by: Kinsey | March 23, 2009 at 02:17 PM
Chacho, just to put it in perspective, he has played in 37 games in 5 seasons. Everyone talks about his up-side and how he is a talented pitcher if he can stay healthy. However, he never could in Washington.
Posted by: DC Nats Fan | March 23, 2009 at 02:49 PM
Chacho, just to put it in perspective, he has played in 37 games in 5 seasons. Everyone talks about his up-side and how he is a talented pitcher if he can stay healthy. However, he never could in Washington.
Posted by: DC Nats Fan | March 23, 2009 at 02:49 PM
Great info -- thanks guys.
Posted by: Chacho | March 23, 2009 at 03:16 PM
As a Padres fan I dearly WANT Shawn Hill to pitch and pitch to his potential. BUT going by recent history, the Padres might be the very worst organization to go to if, as a pitcher, you're worried about your health. If you want me to document this, just ask.
I really doubt this signing goes anywhere. Padres destroy pitchers.
Posted by: ghh | March 23, 2009 at 05:25 PM
I love this signing, he immediately becomes a canidate to make the back of the rotation. I was hoping the Padres would go after him, I was dissapointed when it looked like the Blue Jays would snatch him up. However, I gotta agree with what ghh said, the Padres can really hurt young pitchers. Still, it's a good opportunity for Hill to bounce back on a team that he can bring value to while pitching in a pitcher's park. Could be another Mark Prior type failure, but doesn't hurt to take a chance.
Posted by: SDPads4life | March 23, 2009 at 09:49 PM
Great, put him together with Mark Prior in the rotation and we'll have one of the most "talented" rotations evah!
I'm glad I don't have to see the Padres insurance premiums for these two
Posted by: AnteaterPadre | March 23, 2009 at 10:12 PM
i was expecting him to sign with the BlueJays. But San Diego will be a good fit for him i think.
Posted by: death. CyaniDe | March 27, 2009 at 03:35 PM