The Los Angeles Dodgers made a pretty big move on Monday, re-signing veteran starter Rich Hill to a three-year, $48 million contract. This solidifies the top-end of the Dodgers' rotation with Clayton Kershaw and Kenta Maeda.
Hill was acquired from the Oakland Athletics during the trade deadline this past summer and proceeded to post a 1.83 ERA and 0.79 WHIP while striking out well over 10 batters per nine innings in six starts.
Always considered an injury risk, Hill posted a superb 2.25 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 14 starts with Oakland prior to the trade.
From a fantasy perspective, Hill comes in as an under-the-radar top-level starter. While he won't warrant the high draft selections that we see from the likes of Madison Bumgarner, Max Scherzer and the aforementioned Kershaw, he can provide nearly as much from a statistical standpoint when he's actually healthy.
Though, Hill did miss more than a month of action last season with a blister on his throwing hand. He's also been injury plagued during the large part of his up-and-down 12-year MLB career. Now rounding into form as a dominant starter, you could catch lightning in a bottle by picking him up as a value add during the draft.
Also important to note, Hill was absolutely dominating while taking to the rubber at the pitcher-friendly Dodger stadium following his trade to Southern California. In three starts, he posted an absurdly low 0.53 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP. Expect that domination to continue in 2017.