Report: Mets acquiring veteran lefty Rich Hill from Rays

The New York Mets are acquiring LHP Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The Mets are sending RP Tommy Hunter and C Matt Dyer to the Rays in the deal. This is the first notable move by New York ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline, which is set for July 30th. New York is expected to be very active in the week leading up to the deadline.

The Mets were in need of some depth at SP with Jacob deGrom on IL due to forearm tightness. It’s unclear when deGrom will be able to return this season. Rookie David Peterson is also on the shelf for New York. So Hill fills a need in the rotation along with Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker as the Mets look to secure first place in the NL East. At 50-43, New York has a 4.0 game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves.

At 41 years old, Hill is having a pretty remarkable season for someone his age. He’s 6-4 with a 3.87 ERA and 91 Ks over 95.1 IP. Hill also brings plenty of playoff experience for when the Mets get healthy. Hill will likely operate out of the bullpen as a long reliever or lefty specialist once the postseason rolls around.