Padres Acquire LHP Rich Hill and 1B/DH Ji Man Choi from Pirates

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres have acquired left-handed pitcher Rich Hill and first baseman/ designated hitter Ji Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for left-hander Jackson Wolf, first baseman Alfonso Rivas and outfielder Estuar Suero, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller announced today.

The 43-year-old Hill has posted a 7-10 record with a 4.76 ERA (63 ER, 119.0 IP) in 22 starts this season with 104 strikeouts and 47 walks. He is the oldest player to appear in the majors this season and currently ranks T-3^rd among all National League pitchers this year in games started, T-17^th in innings pitched, 24^th in strikeouts and 25^th in ground ball percentage (38.3). A 19-year major league veteran, Hill was originally selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 4^th round of the 2002 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Michigan. He has gone 89-69 with a 3.93 ERA (601 ER, 1378.0 IP), 1,398 strikeouts, 1.25 WHIP and .233 opponents average in 372 career games (243 starts) between the Cubs (2005-08), Baltimore Orioles (2009), Boston Red Sox (2010-2012, 2015, 2022), Cleveland Indians (2013), Los Angeles Angels (2014), New York Yankees (2014), Oakland Athletics (2016), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016-2019), Minnesota Twins (2020), Tampa Bay Rays (2021), New York Mets (2021) and Pirates (2023).

Choi, 32, is batting .205 (15-for-73) with four doubles, six home runs and 11 RBI in 23 games this season. He spent nearly three months on the injured list with a left Achilles strain (April 15-July 6). Since his return to the lineup on July 7, Choi is batting .268 (11-for-41) with a .634 slugging percentage, .930 OPS (3 2B, 4 HR) and nine RBI in 14 games. He originally signed as an international free agent with the Seattle Mariners in July of 2009. Choi has amassed a .238 (365-for-1536) average with a .772 OPS, 92 doubles, three triples, 67 home runs, 236 RBI, 233 walks and 187 runs in 509 career games between the Angels (2016), Yankees (2017), Milwaukee Brewers (2018), Rays (2018-2022) and Pirates (2023). With Choi’s acquisition, this will mark the first time the Padres have had two South Korean-born players on their roster in a season.