Pirates Add More Pitching Depth With Signing of Trevor Cahill
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff in 2021 features a lot of young guys who are making their way into the MLB. While the talent is there, there isn't a lot of experience to go with that talent. The Pittsburgh Pirates addressed this issue on Thursday when they signed free-agent right-hander Trevor Cahill to a one-year, 1.5 million dollar deal with performance bonuses. Cahill started his career out as a starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics but has since bounced around between the starting rotation and the bullpen. He brings with him 12 years of Big League experience and even in his age 33 season, he is showing that he can still be an effective reliever.
In 2020, Trevor Cahill spent the year with the San Francisco Giants and went 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA over 11 games, six starts. With the Giants in need of rotation depth early in the year, Cahill started 2020 as a starting pitcher. However, by season's end, he was back in the bullpen and continued being a swingman. He has played for eight teams during his career and has made the playoffs one time. With the Pirates bullpen in need of a reliable reliever, Cahill will more than likely be a reliever for the Pirates so the young guys can get their experience in the rotation. Today, we look at what Cahill brings to the Pirates and how they may use him during the 2021 season.
From Starter to Reliever
The 2020 season was a metaphor for how Trevor Cahill's 12-year Major League career has gone. Back in 2009, he came to the Big Leagues as a starting pitcher with the Oakland Athletics. After a few years in the league, and a few injuries, Cahill has since moved to the bullpen and has been working out of the bullpen primarily since the 2015 season. In 2020, Cahill once again found himself in the starting rotation as the San Francisco Giants were in need of a fifth starter. He took on the role and made his first start of the season on August 12th against the Houston Astros. Cahill didn't last very long, going just 1.2 innings of work not allowing a hit while walking four and striking out two.
He would continue to be in the Giants starting rotation through the beginning of September. He started lasting longer in games and showed that he can still be a reliable fifth starter. In his next two starts, he would last four and 5.1 innings each and had an ERA of 1.64 in his first three starts. However, after two rough outings, Cahill ended up being regulated to the bullpen. As he worked shorter innings, he became more successful and actually began to thrive in the Giants bullpen in the month of September. He allowed just two hits in his five relief innings and didn't allow an earned run in any of his five relief outings.
His first relief appearance came on September 16th against the Seattle Mariners. He allowed two hits over two innings of work while walking one and striking out four over two innings of work. Those were the only two hits that Cahill gave up coming out of the bullpen and dropped his ERA from 4.05 to 3.24 over five relief appearances. His key was generating soft contact and he held opponents to a .184 batting average. He struck out eight batters and walked just three over his five innings of work. The bullpen seems to be where Cahill thrived and will be more than likely where he will play for the Pirates in 2021.
Bullpen Leadership
As long as he is stretched out by Opening Day, Trevor Cahill should be able to earn a spot in the Pirates' 2021 bullpen. At 33-years-old, he becomes the oldest member of the Pirates bullpen and has the most experience out of anyone on the team. After Cahill had so much success in the bullpen, he could serve to be a strong middle reliever for the Pirates moving forward. With the starters not logging enough innings last season, the Pirates needed an insurance option in case that happened again. Cahill could be the guy who comes in in the fifth or sixth inning and get the Pirates to the back of the bullpen.
At age 33, Cahill no longer has the ability to throw the fastball by batters like he used to. However, he has changed his approach and is relying on his location rather than his speed. His most-used pitch is his change-up (29.8%) that comes in at around 82 miles per hour. He had batters out in front with a WHIFF rate of 23.4%, while generating 11 strikeouts. He balanced that out with his sinker (24.6%) that comes in ten miles per hour faster at around 90.2 mph. Both pitches have big downward movement with 38.3 inches of drop and 26 inches of drop respectively.
After Cahill takes care of his inbounding protocol, he should be in the mix for a spot in the Pirates bullpen. His experience can help guys like Sam Howard and Blake Cederlind as they develop into full-time Major Leaguers. Cahill brings a veteran presence and good movement on his pitches. He keeps the ball on the ground and if the Pirates can play good defense behind him he should have a good run in Pittsburgh. He is also a good candidate to be flipped at the trade deadline for prospects to help continue the rebuild of the organization. Overall, it was a good veteran signing that will help give this pitching staff the leader that they are looking for.
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