The Royals announced that they have signed left-hander to a minor league deal. He will report to the clubs spring training/Complex League facility in Surprise but will be heading to Triple-A Omaha soon. The veteran lefty has already defied the normal aging curves and seems determined to do so again. Now 45 years old, Hill would easily be the oldest player in the majors if he eventually has his contract selected. 42-year-old is oldest active player at the moment. Hill has a long and storied career that dates back to his 2005 debut. He had some succe s in the subsequent years, followed by a long stretch of being injured and/or ineffective. He returned to prominence about a decade ago, amazingly having some of his best seasons while in his mid-30s. Lately, the results havent been quite as strong. His last full season was 2023, in which he finished with a 5.41 earned run average. That was fairly lopsided, as he had a 4.76 ERA with the Pirates but then struggled badly after being traded to the Padres. He believed that he could be better with an unconventional approach, so he intentionally waited until late in 2024 to sign a new deal. This would allow him to spend more time with his family, in addition to saving his best results for later in the year, theoretically giving him a better chance to thrive in competitive games down the stretch. The plan didnt quite work out. He signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in the middle of August. After a couple of weeks in the minors, he was added to the big league roster but wasnt given a rotation job. He made four low-leverage relief appearances before being designated for a signment and then released. Over the Tarik Skubal Jersey winter, he said he was still planning to pitch in 2025, but without trying the same late-signing strategy. As recently as three weeks ago, he was still throwing and hoping to sign. Whether its by design or simply due to a soft market, Hill is now splitting the difference somewhat. He is signing and getting started later in the year, but with a few extra months of potential ramp-up time relative to last season. The Royals dont really need starting pitching. They have one of the best rotations in the majors, something that recently took a detailed look at. They have a strong front four in , , and , with a serviceable back-end guy as well. , one of the better pitching prospects in the majors, is on the 40-man and pitching in the Triple-A rotation. However, theres little harm in adding some extra depth, just in case the injury bug bites. The Royals have also recently seen both and suffer setbacks in their rehabs, so perhaps they have added Hill in response to those developments. Even if they dont need him, they can let him take the ball and get into game shape. If he finds himself in good form as the trade deadline approaches, they could perhaps flip him to some other club with a greater rotation need. Its also po sible that the deal contains some opt-outs or upward mobility clauses, so Hill can get out of the deal if the Royals dont call him up. If Hill is able to get back to the majors, with the Royals or some other club, he would get a chance to add to his career stat lines. He has 1,409 big league innings over his career with a 4.01 ERA, 24% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate. Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images. Shelby Miller Jersey