MESA, Ariz. -- Officially, Matt Strahm became a Padre last July. Unofficially, he finally became a Padre in Mesa on Saturday afternoon, when he took the mound for the first time with his new club.
The free-and-easy left-hander was a critical piece in a Deadline deal in which the Padres sent Trevor Cahill, Ryan Buchter and Brandon Maurer to Kansas City. But Strahm, coming off surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, did not pitch for San Diego in 2017.
Strahm worked the third inning of Saturday's Cactus League tilt against Oakland, and he allowed a leadoff homer to Bruce Maxwell before retiring the next three hitters in order.