Tim Hill agrees to one-year $2.25 million deal to return to Yankees

Tim Hill agreed Sunday to a one-year, $2.25 million contract to return to the New York Yankees, whose general manager has made the bullpen the club's main offseason priority.

New York would have Hill for a fourth season under the agreement, which carries a $2.5 million team option for 2028. MLB.com described the agreement as the Yankees' first bullpen move of the offseason and said the team had not confirmed it at the time.

Left-handed reliever Tim Hill and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a one-year, $2.25 million contract that includes a $2.5 million club option for 2028, sources tell ESPN. Hill returns for his fourth season with the Yankees, whose bullpen is a top priority this offseason.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 15, 2026

The Yankees' bullpen ranked second in the majors with a 3.13 ERA in 2026, but several of its relievers have reached free agency. General manager Brian Cashman told MLB Network Radio this month that the bullpen was "our main priority, to be honest."

"Two of the three pitchers going into our eighth and ninth inning are gone; Blackburn and Bednar right now are free agents, so we've got our work to do," Cashman said previously.

"And because of that, I am casting a wide net," Cashman said earlier. "We are asking around, and we need to find some stuff so we can feel good and sleep at night."

Paul Blackburn and David Bednar are joined on the free-agent market by fellow Yankees relievers Ryan Yarbrough, John Schreiber and Michael Fulmer.

Hill joined New York in 2024, following stints with the Royals, Padres and White Sox, and has compiled a 3.34 ERA across 172 appearances for the Yankees.

He went 5-2 in 67 appearances in 2026, with his ERA rising to 4.60 from 3.09 in 2025.

Hill gave up more home runs. His career-high 12 allowed that season surpassed the previous year's eight, with seven hit by right-handed batters. Left-handers had a.611 OPS against him, compared with a .908 OPS for right-handers.

His ground-ball rate led major league relievers at 68.9%.

Hill also stranded 33 of 35 runners he inherited, giving him the majors' lowest inherited-runners-scoring percentage.

The Yankees had retained Hill for 2026 by exercising a $3 million club option, and he will earn $750,000 less in 2027.

Other teams had interest in Hill. Jon Heyman wrote on X that the Guardians, Mets, Giants and Dodgers were among the clubs pursuing him.

The Yankees are interested in bringing back Tim Hill. The Guardians, Mets, Giants and Dodgers are among other teams in the mix

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 12, 2026

The New York Post reported that Hill and fellow left-hander Brent Headrick are the two pitchers assured of bullpen places for 2027, with a lockout impending at midnight Dec. 1.

Bednar's return remains uncertain. The closer has until Tuesday to decide whether to accept the Yankees' $23.15 million qualifying offer.