Rays trade Rich Hill to the New York Mets

According to reports, the Tampa Bay Rays are close to trading veteran southpaw Rich Hill to the New York Mets in exchange for right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter and minor league catcher Matt Dyer.

Hill, who is in his 17th big league season and is now on record as the oldest pitcher in franchise history, has been a solid consistent presence in the Rays rotation this season. Thus far, he has started 19 games and compiled a 3.87 ERA over 95 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched.

Hunter rejoins the Rays for his second tenure with the team, having previously been acquired during the ‘16-’17 offseason. He is a big league veteran of 14 seasons and has appeared in just four games this year with the New York Mets, allowing 0 runs and 4 hits over 8 innings pitched. Hunter is currently on the Injured List, having been dealing with a back issue since May; last report by Mike Puma of the New York Post indicates that Hunter may be out for the rest of the season.

Dyer, 23, was the Mets 4th round draft pick in the 2020 draft. He made his professional debut earlier this year, playing with the Single-A St Lucie Mets. Thus far, he has hit .194/.329/.452 with 7 HR over 152 plate appearances.

With Hill departing the Rays rotation, the team suddenly has another hole on their already heavily depleted pitching staff. Reinforcements are on the way however, with Chris Archer and Nick Anderson both nearing their returns from their respective stints on the Injured List.

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UPDATE - It’s official.

For more, read on here: Why the Rays traded Rich Hill to the Mets