Trevor Cahill had a solid couple of years at the beginning of the decade with the Oakland A’s, earning an All-Star nod and a couple of Cy Young Award votes in 2010, but until recently was unable to recapture that glory. Injuries and mechanical problems plagued the right-hander, and he bounced from team to team, role to role, shuffling up and down between the minor leagues and the majors.
After settling in primarily as a reliever with the Chicago Cubs, Cahill was signed as a free agent by the San Diego Padres, who wanted him to start ballgames.