After turning his 2024 season around in the Bronx, Tim Hill wouldn’t mind staying with the Yankees.
The free agent reliever has a “ton of interest” in re-signing with the club, a league source told the Daily News. That interest is mutual, as the source added that the Yankees have expressed a desire to retain the side-arming southpaw.
Hill, who is still working his way through the free agent process, has received interest from other contenders across the league. However, he spoke glowingly of the pennant-winning Yankees on several occasions after being released by the historically woeful White Sox in mid-June.
The 34-year-old was terrible with Chicago, posting a 5.87 ERA over his first 27 games and 23 innings this season. However, a change of scenery brought different results, as Hill recorded a 2.05 ERA over 35 games and 44 innings with the Yankees.
He shrunk his ERA to 1.29 over his last 23 games and ended up leading all big league relievers with a 68.2% groundball rate.
“He’s been awesome,” pitching coach Matt Blake, comparing Hill to ex-Yankee Wandy Peralta, said before the playoffs. “A really trustworthy, strike-throwing lefty that can match up and get lefties on the ground. And he’s done a nice job of getting the righties out when it’s his turn, but we feel really good about him coming in, throwing the ball over the plate, putting guys on the ground in some high-leverage spots. I mean, he’s been tremendous for us in the last month and a half.”
After an impressive regular season rebound, Hill then put together a dominant postseason, logging a 1.08 ERA over 10 appearances and 8.1 innings.
Hill’s success led many to wonder why Aaron Boone turned to another lefty — a fresh-off-the-IL Nestor Cortes — in Game 1 of the World Series. Both pitchers were warming with the top of the Dodgers’ order due up, and Cortes ultimately allowed a walk-off grand slam to Freddie Freeman.
The Royals and Padres have also employed Hill, who has a 4.18 ERA for his seven-year career. He’s not the only Yankees’ reliever on the open market, as Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle and Jonathan Loáisiga are also free agents.
As of now, Tim Mayza is the only left-handed reliever on the Yankees’ 40-man roster. Another mid-season flier, he is projected to make $4 million in arbitration this winter.
That figure could make Mayza a non-tender candidate.
