The Mets currently have three healthy arms in the rotation, with starters for Sunday and both games of Monday's doubleheader still unknown, so the acquisition of Rich Hill helps fill a glaring need.
It was enough to excite manager Luis Rojas, whose job gets a little easier with another healthy arm to put in a rotation that has been decimated by injuries.
"It's a great fit," Rojas told reporters on Friday. "A great acquisition. Our front office is being diligent. One of our needs right now, talking about our starting pitching, and this is a guy that fits right in."
The verteran Hill has fell off a bit after a great start to the season, pitching to an ERA over five in his last seven starts, and eight of his last nine starts haven't lasted past five innings. But with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and others still out with injuries, any innings will be valued, and Hill has a recent track record of success, as recently as earlier this season when he pitched to an ERA under one in an eight-start stretch.
"We know a lot about Rich Hill," Rojas said. "I think a lot of people in the game know the name. a guy that's been around for years now, with a lot of experience pitching good baseball, pitching playoff baseball."
Hill brings 17 years of MLB experience, much more than the spot starters New York has tried in recent weeks, as the team has scrambled to piece together a pitching staff. But the team now has a new back-of-the-rotation arm that could even factor into the team's future plans as they get healthier, especially if Hill can rediscover the efficiency he had earlier in 2021.
"Very excited for the acquisition," Rojas said. "I think he's going to help us hugely."
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