The Pittsburgh Pirates are trading journeyman left-hander Rich Hill and Ji-Man Choi to the San Diego Padres, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds pitcher Jackson Wolf is the main prospect going back to Pittsburgh in the deal.
The San Diego Padres are finalizing a trade to acquire left-handed starter Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2023
The 43-year-old Hill is 7-10 this season with an 4.76 ERA in 22 starts.
The rebuilding Pirates signed Hill to a one-year, $8 million deal this past winter, making Pittsburgh his 12th big league team. Hill has also pitched for the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. Hill has also pitched in 13 postseason games – 12 of them for the Dodgers – and owns a career playoff ERA of 3.06.
The Boston native was selected in the 1999, 2001 and 2002 MLB Drafts, finally deciding to sign with the Cubs after going in the fourth round. He made his MLB debut in June of 2005 in a game against the then-Florida Marlins.
Choi has appeared in just 23 games this season for Pittsburgh as he spent more than two months recovering from an achilles strain. He has a .205 average with six home runs in 73 at bats this year.
