No Perry Hill in 2010

The Pirates announced today that Perry Hill will not return to their coaching staff in 2010. It's disappointing news, but it doesn't seem all that surprising as Hill's indicated since the end of the season that he's unlikely to return next year. There will certainly be speculation about why Hill chose not to return, but I find it really hard to buy into the story that the Pirates told Hill that they wouldn't be cleaning house in 2009, because it seemed pretty clear to me from the outset that that was the team's plan. He has a very young son and his wife was sick shortly after his son's birth, which was why he retired from the Marlins in 2007. He simply could be choosing to move on to life after baseball. It is worth noting that John Perrotto is reporting that the Pirates have exercised Hill's option for 2010, which means that he can't go work for another team, should he be interested in coaching elsewhere next year. You could read that as a sign o...