San Diego Padres Are Set to Do Something Not Done in Baseball in Two Decades

Once Rich Hill makes his debut with the San Diego Padres, the Padres will have done something not done in nearly 20 years.

Just hours before the trade deadline on Tuesday, the San Diego Padres acquired veterans Rich Hill and Ji-Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

You can read up on the deal here, but it's a sign that the Padres are not giving up on a season that has them at 5.0 games of a wild card berth in the National League.

The deal also means that San Diego is going to make baseball history by doing something the sport hasn't seen in nearly 20 years.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

with Nelson Cruz (earlier this year) and Rich Hill, the Padres will be the first team to have 2 players appear for them at age 43+ in a season since: 

2005 Astros: Roger Clemens + John Franco

with Nelson Cruz (earlier this year) and Rich Hill, the Padres will be the first team to have 2 players appear for them at age 43+ in a season since:

2005 Astros: Roger Clemens + John Franco https://t.co/RbQbLAJzaR

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 1, 2023

Cruz was designated for assignment earlier this year but it all counts the same!

The Padres are 52-55 and one of the biggest disappointments in all of baseball, but after having won six of their last 10, ownership is deciding to continue their trend of going big and trying to win.

The 43-year-old Hill is 7-10 this season with a 4.76 ERA for Pittsburgh. He's been durable, tossing 119 innings. He's in his 19th year in the big leagues with a multitude of teams: Red Sox, Dodgers, A's, Cubs, Twins, Mets, Rays, Angels, Guardians, Yankees and Orioles.

He's 89-69 overall with a 3.93 ERA in his career.

As for Choi, the 32-year-old is hitting just .205 this season with a .224 on-base percentage. He's got six home runs but he does offer the Padres a bit of power, having hit 19 home runs for the Rays back in 2019.

The trade deadline is Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

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