Rich Hill took a beat to collect himself. When he started to talk again, his voice wavered a bit, the corners of his eyes watering just a bit.
He knew the there was a chance he was going to be traded, if not an expectation. But now that it was done, reflecting on his favorite moments as a Pirate, it hit. When he had an answer, it was Josh Palacios' home run Sunday and Carlos Santana's walk off to beat the Brewers last month.
"And not just the walk-off, seeing guys develop, seeing guys grow into really good players and guys that are going to become great major league players, I think, moving forward," Hill said in the hallway just outside the Pirates' clubhouse. "That's something that is pretty special. Again, the time, obviously, you got to make the most of it and it's very fleeting and escaping.
"I know that sitting here at 43 and looking back when I was 25 and thinking that this would last forever. I think that looking at guys in that locker room who are 25 and younger, just seeing the opportunities that are in front of them are precious and just bring the same effort every single day and make sure you leave no stone unturned, really."
There are going to be some more young players in that clubhouse soon. On Tuesday, the Pirates traded Hill along with fellow veteran Ji-Man Choi to the Padres, as the team continued to flip players on expiring deals for prospects.
Coming the Pirates' way are three players, the headliner being lefty Jackson Wolf. Wolf, 24, was already on the Padres' 40 man roster and made a spot start for his big-league debut on July 22. He sat 89 mph on his fastball that start with a low spin slider and changeup.
Wolf was ranked as the Padres' No. 20 prospect, according to Baseball America. He has yet to pitch in Class AAA, and recorded a 4.08 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings in Class AA.
The Pirates are also getting outfielder Estuar Suero and first baseman Alfonso Rivas in the trade.
Rivas, 26, has bounced between the majors and minors with the Cubs and Padres the past three seasons. He only had 17 plate appearances with the Padres this season, but had done quite well for their Class AAA affiliate in El Paso. While the Pacific Coast League is definitely a hitter's league, Rivas was still one of the league's top hitters, slashing .332/.462/.582 with nine home runs, 19 doubles and 40 RBIs in 260 trips to the plate.
In 127 major-league games, Rivas has hit .245 with a .652 OPS, four home runs, 29 RBIS and a 31.2% strikeout rate.
With Choi and Carlos Santana traded this week, it's reasonable to assume Rivas and Connor Joe will get the majority of the reps at first base the rest of the season.
Suero, 17, has slashed .216/.306/.245 with four home runs and seven stolen bases in 160 plate appearances in the Complex League. He signed for $325,000 in January 2022, the Padres' seventh-largest signing bonus on the opening of the period that year.
Hill was one of the Pirates' big trade pieces this deadline, as there is always a need for starting pitching this time of year. That even applies to someone like Hill, who has been middling this season, going 7-10 with a 4.76 ERA over 119 innings pitched. He has also been arguably the team's second-most reliable hand out of the rotation (outside of All-Star Mitch Keller), staying healthy and pitching at least five innings in 18 of his 22 outings.
Choi's Pirates tenure ended up being just 23 games after being acquired from the Rays last November. An ankle injury in April sidelined him for three months, but he has hit well since he has returned. While he has just 15 hits on the season, six of them were home runs.
He also provided some much-needed energy in the Pirates' clubhouse.
"If you’re around Ji-Man for five minutes, you enjoy yourself," Derek Shelton said. "He kind of provides that."
For Hill, his time in Pittsburgh was just a blip in his 19-year career -- and he made clear he would like to have a 20th -- but it made a very clear impact on him.
"Obviously, looking forward to a new chapter that’s ahead in San Diego," Hill said. "The time here was unbelievable. Looking forward to the future here in Pittsburgh, it looks pretty good."
The Pirates made two more deadline moves Tuesday, sending Austin Hedges to the Rangers and Rodolfo Castro to the Phillies.
