Former Padre, Oceanside Native, Announces Sudden Retirement

When the San Diego Padres traded Trevor Cahill to the Kansas City Royals in July 2017, it ended the veteran pitcher's tenure in his home town after only 11 games.

Cahill went 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA for the Padres in 2017 — one stop in a journeyman career that is now officially over.

Despite a three-year layoff since his last professional game, Cahill signed with the independent Gastonia Ghost Peppers in June. At 37 years old, he made two relief appearances for the Atlantic League club, most recently on July 2.

Three days later, however, the Ghost Peppers officially listed Cahill as retired. The pitcher subsequently confirmed his decision in a private post to his Instagram account.

The Padres' trade of Cahill set off a wild string of transactions that continued to bear fruit for years. Among the players they acquired from the Royals for Cahill and pitchers Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter was second baseman Esteury Ruiz.

In August 2022, the Padres traded Ruiz (along with Taylor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet and Robert Gasser) to the Milwaukee Brewers for closer Josh Hader. Hader saved 40 games over the next season and a half in San Diego, helping the Padres end a 24-year drought between National League Championship Series appearances in October 2022.

Cahill, who signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Padres in January 2017, won't be remembered as the main reason the Padres were able to acquire Hader. If he is remembered by Padre fans at all, the Oceanside native will be remembered as one of many San Diego County products to play for the hometown team.

The Oakland A's drafted Cahill in the second round of the 2006 MLB Draft out of Vista High School. He enjoyed his best seasons with the A's, including his lone All-Star season of 2010. That year, Cahill went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 30 starts.

Cahill found himself without a job only five years later. He was released after making 12 uninspiring appearances out of the Atlanta Braves' bullpen, but was able to latch on with the Chicago Cubs for the remainder of the season.

With the Cubs in 2016, Cahill enjoyed his most successful season as a reliever. He made 50 appearances out of the bullpen for the eventual World Series champions, striking out more than a batter per inning.

The following season, Cahill successfully re-invented himself as a starter in San Diego, kicking off a run that saw him pitch for six teams over five MLB seasons.

Cahill retires with an 86-99 record and a 4.26 ERA across 13 major league seasons with the A's (2009-11; 2018), Arizona Diamondbacks (2012-14), Braves (2015), Cubs (2015-16), Padres (2017), Royals (2017), Los Angeles Angels (2019), San Francisco Giants (2020), and Pittsburgh Pirates (2021).

Cahill also briefly played in the minor league systems of the Los Angeles Dodgers (2015) and New York Mets (2022).

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