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Athletics sign Rich Hill to 1-year, $6 million deal

The left-hander heads to Oakland, as we first reported was possible on Tuesday.

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Athletics have agreed to sign left-hander Rich Hill to a 1-year, $6 million contract, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports and Robert Murray of Baseball Essential. MLB Daily Dish first reported talks between the sides earlier in the night.

Hill, 35, drew significant interest from multiple teams this offseason, including the Rays and Padres. He joins Sonny Gray, Jesse Hahn, Jesse Chavez, Jarrod Parker, Chris Bassitt and Kendall Graveman in a crowded rotation mix for Oakland, leading to speculation that a trade may be in the works. Passan reported earlier tonight that the A's have fielded trade interest in Chavez, which would make the signing of Hill more logical.

Hill pitched well down the stretch for the Red Sox, who signed him out of the Atlantic League over the summer. The southpaw made four starts with Boston, allowing only five earned runs in 29 innings in his first time starting in the majors since 2009.

Hill is a veteran of eleven major-league seasons with the Cubs (2005-08), Orioles (2009), Red Sox (2010-12, 2015), Indians (2013), Angels (2014) and Yankees (2014). He has made less than $4 million in his entire career before this point, so the $6 million guarantee is a stunning one for someone who was pitching for the Long Island Ducks in 2015.