NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland -- The Los Angeles Dodgers wasted little time making news at the baseball winter meetings, using the first day of the annual gathering of agents, team officials and media to announce the expected three-year deal for free-agent pitcher Rich Hill.The deal, which was agreed to this past weekend but not announced, is worth $48 million, sources told ESPNs Buster Olney.Its just the fan base thats there in L.A. and the passion that they have; the intensity to win, thats something that we wanted and something that we wanted to come back to, Hill said, referencing his family. We want to be a part of that; we want to bring a championship to L.A.Hill, 36, was a boon to the Dodgers down the stretch in 2016 after he was acquired via trade from the Oakland Athletics at the non-waiver trade deadline on Aug. 1, along with outfielder Josh Reddick. The Dodgers gave up minor league pitchers Jharel Cotton, Frankie Montas and Grant Holmes to make the swap.Hill eventually made six starts for the Dodgers after recovering from blister issues on his left hand, posting a 1.83 ERA in 43? innings. He was not scored upon in his first three starts in a Dodgers uniform, even pitching seven perfect innings at Miami on Sept. 10, in a game he eventually left after 89 pitches as a precaution because of his blister issue.In three postseason starts, Hill went 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA, pitching in the deciding Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Washington, and beating the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.I think anytime in free agency there are risks that you take, but so much of our confidence comes from knowing him, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. No matter how much work you do on a guy, its different once you experience it firsthand and be around it and see it. So having that chance and that opportunity for those three months is what gave us the confidence to bet on him in terms of the type of person he is, what kind of competitor, the work ethic, seeing that up close.Hill is expected to be the Dodgers No. 2 starter, behind staff ace Clayton Kershaw, putting a pair of left-handers atop the rotation.Rich is awesome; Im excited to have Rich Hill back, said Kershaw, who paid a brief visit to the winter meetings. He is so much fun to watch pitch with his competitiveness and fire. He cares and he wants to win and he wants to pitch well, and that is awesome to have. You really cant take that for granted. The guy he is off the field, in the clubhouse, I enjoy talking to him. Hes a fun guy. I consider him a friend, so were excited to have him back, for sure.Hill said working alongside Kershaw has been an inspiration and is one of the main reasons he wanted to return to the Dodgers.Being around the likes of Clayton Kershaw, watching the way the guy works, I bring him up specifically because of his intensity and his passion, Hill said. When he goes out there and pitches, its something that is contagious. Guys feed off that, and thats what you want. Thats what I hope every time that I go out there -- thats what I bring and hope that guys feed off of that.Hill was one of the three top in-house free agents the Dodgers were interested in retaining. He was considered one of the best starting pitchers available on the open market. The club continues to negotiate with the agents for third baseman Justin Turner and closer Kenley Jansen.Air Max 95 Cheap Authentic . 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We wish Josh and his wife, Kristen, all the best in the future.The Packers spent part of Saturday trying to trade Sitton before the NFLs deadline to cut rosters to 53.Sitton, 30, was entering the final year of a five-year, $33.75 million contract. He was scheduled to make $6.450 million in base salary and roster bonuses this season.Reached via text message after the Packers made the news of his release official and he did not answer his phone, Sitton stuck to clichés when asked about his shocking departure.I really dont want to talk, man, Sitton wrote. Im thankful to the organization. Its a tough business.Its a surprising move given Sittons longevity -- he has started 110 of 112 possible regular-season games since 2009 -- but he has experienced back issues the past couple of seasons. In fact, he said he lost weight this offseason in an effort to take some of the stress off his back.Im very optimistic of his prospects for playing for a number of additional years, Sittons agent, Jack Reale, told ESPNs Josina Anderson. Hes coming off of mmaybe his best camp in the last four years.dddddddddddd Hes lighter, and he is in better shape. He is coming off of a Pro Bowl season and he just turned 30.I think hes got lots left. I think all the teams that he has been playing against for the last several years are certainly aware of that, and certainly teams within their division. So we will see what happens.Sitton was one of four offensive line starters entering the final seasons of their contracts. The Packers will need salary-cap space if they want to retain left tackle David Bakhtiari, right guard T.J. Lang and center JC Tretter -- all of whom will be free agents after this season.By releasing Sitton, the Packers wipe off his $6.150 million base salary plus $400,000 in per-game roster bonuses from their salary cap. Theres no dead money because Sitton did not have any remaining signing-bonus proration counting on this years cap.Its not immediately clear how they plan to replace Sitton in the lineup, but they have several candidates, including Lane Taylor and Don Barclay. Its also possible they could move right tackle Bryan Bulaga to guard and play rookie second-round pick Jason Spriggs at Bulagas old spot. Or they could move Tretter to guard from center once Corey Linsley is recovered from the hamstring injury that had him on the physically unable to perform list all of training camp.Information from ESPNs Jason Wilde was used in this report. ' ' '