Former Cubs pitcher attempting another comeback for inexplicable reasons

While one former Chicago Cubs starting pitcher is still trying to get cleared to restart his 2025 season, another former Chicago hurler, Rich Hill, is looking to jump-start his career and set an MLB record in the process.

Hill recently signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals organization that won't yet see him pitching at Kauffman Stadium. Instead, he'll prove he deserves a roster spot on the big-league club with a turn with the franchise's Triple-A team, the Omaha Stormchasers.

Rich Hill could tie another former Cubs pitcher if he makes the team

However, if the former Cub does well in his Triple-A tryout and gets called up by the Royals, it will mark a record 14th Major League organization he's pitched for. In other words, the 45-year-old hurler will have pitched for almost half the league's teams during his career.

Beginning his career in 2005 with the Chicago Cubs, Hill spent four years in Wrigley as a fourth-round pick out of the University of Michigan. He then played for the Orioles, Red Sox, Guardians, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox again, Athletics, Dodgers, Twins, Mets, Rays, Red Sox again, Padres, Pirates, and then, yes, the Red Sox for a fourth time in 2024.

Technically, Hill would tie Edwin Jackson, who also pitched for 14 MLB clubs. The aged left-hander would also become the oldest pitcher to make a big-league appearance since Bartolo Colon made his final start in September 2018 at 45 years and 121 days old. Hill is 45 years and 65 days old as of today, so the former Cubs star could surpass that mark if he's still pitching for the Royals into August and September.

Of course, the big question, especially for Kansas City, is why this move was made. Hill hasn't been an especially effective starting pitcher for quite some time. In his last full season, 2023, he posted a 5.41 ERA. across 146 1/3 innings of work with San Diego and Pittsburgh.

It seems likely that the man who started his career a full decade before the Chicago Cubs won their last World Series is little more than roster fodder and possible depth for the Royals, especially considering the strength of their rotation. Still, it would certainly be something if Rich Hill could step on a Major League mound again and contribute to a team's hunt for the playoffs at age 45.