Los Angeles Dodgers: Trade or keep on potential trade chips this winter

7. Rich Hill: Keep

Rich Hill is another name that has been somewhat included in trade talks but has not been concretely considered a trade chip for the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, despite this, the Dodgers do have multiple reasons to trade Hill, especially if the team is concerned about the luxury tax.

Hill is entering the last season of a three-year deal that he signed prior to the 2017 season and is set to make $18.67 million. While Hill is a nice piece of this rotation, the emergence of Walker Buehler as the clear-cut second arm has made Hill’s contract harder to swallow.

With that in mind, the Dodgers may attempt to include Hill in a package for Kluber in order to offset Kluber’s contract. Or, the team could even look to sell Hill for virtually nothing to a team that needs pitching just in order to get cap space for Harper this winter.

While that is a possibility and it does seem like something this front office would do, I do not think it is in the team’s best interest to trade Rich Hill.

Yea, Hill’s contract is a bit restricting but it is not like he is not performing. The constant blisters have been a thing of the past and Hill’s quirky delivery and curveball mix up is one of the most confusing things to prepare for in the MLB.

Hill obviously can still perform at an elite level and was throwing a one-hitter in Game 4 of the World Series before Dave Roberts made the baffling decision to pull him so Scott Alexander could walk one batter.

Is Hill overpaid? Probably. But he is a key part of this rotation and deserves to give it one more go with the Los Angeles Dodgers.