5 San Diego Padres players who have been major disappointments this season

4) Rich Hill has been a major disappointment for the 2023 San Diego Padres

When the San Diego Padres made a move to acquire lefty Rich Hill and first baseman Ji Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2023 MLB trade deadline, they certainly didn't envision such lackluster play from their summer reinforcements. But we're calling this trade what it appears to be at this moment: a disaster.

Let's focus specifically on Rich Hill, the crafty elder statesman of baseball who has revived his career on the basis of deception and soft contact. Since arriving in San Diego, the 43-year-old has pitched to a ghastly 10.71 ERA in five starts. That won't cut it anywhere, not even on a team as bad as the Kansas City Royals or the Oakland A's, let alone the Padres.

We knew GM A.J. Preller wasn't going to punt on the 2023 season; it's not in his DNA to do so. But not even he could've predicted such a rapid decline from Hill, who had otherwise been solid with the Pirates. It is what it is now, though, and the Padres will have to accept the failure of this deal with Pittsburgh.