Could Rich Hill become ‘Jamie Moyer 2.0’ in Phillies rotation?

With still a spot open in the rotation, could the Phillies turn to veteran Rich Hill?

Christmas is around the corner, and the Philadelphia Phillies should feel good heading into the new year — after signing arguably the best free agent, Trea Turner. Turner may not be getting compensated handsomely like Aaron Judge, but the Phillies got him for a low price over Judge and Carlos Correa, which speaks volumes to President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski’s growing list of accomplishments.

The Phillies look as if they did their holiday shopping over the Winter Meetings, but it begs the question — could they stand to get even better? Yes. Enter Jamie Moyer 2.0 — Rich Hill.

Now, it has become a trend for the Mets to sign veteran talents on the last legs of their MLB careers — such as Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer — but who is to say the Phillies cannot do the same? Last season, the left-handed Hill put up impressive numbers as a back-end rotation starter, just to get by a lost season in Boston. Hill has pitched in the majors since 2005 with the Chicago Cubs. That is essentially around the time Steve Bartman was still on every Cubs fan’s most-wanted list.

So far, the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, and Texas Rangers are reportedly among the teams that have expressed interest in Hill this offseason.

The 42-year-old has played 18 big-league seasons and has kept a steady career 3.85 ERA. That is almost as good as Bailey Falter’s 3.86 ERA last season. Hill can step into the Phillies organization on a short deal and become “Jamie Moyer 2.0.”

Hill carries many off-speed pitches and plenty of experience to help the Phillies’ chances at another World Series run. He would complement a rotation that already features Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Ranger Suárez.

The real question: is Managing Partner John Middleton willing to take on more depth and salary? I would believe so. The Phils should rejoice over the holiday season and come back stronger in 2023 by bringing in the cool stuff in Rich Hill.