Padres Acquire Former Washington Starter Shawn Hill

Starter may be a bit of a stretch, but Shawn Hill was at one point not only a starter, but a potentially front end starter. He has had problems staying off of the DL, and that may have been the main reason the Nationals decided to release him. It is a sad state when you are picking up the Nationals throw aways, but this is a small and safe investment in another pitcher (see Kevin Correia) that has shown potential, but was given up on by his former club.

Hill has a career4.93 ERA and 7-15 record (most of which can be attributed to his former club), which is not that terrible. He started out the 2007 year going 4-5 with a 3.42 ERA and started to gain some attention before getting hurt again.

The Padres signed him to a minor league contract that will pay $500,000 if he makes the big league club. Well worth the investment, and if we can get him healthy (unlike the Mark Prior experience to date), then it may prove to be a steal.