A’s add former ace, All-Star Trevor Cahill

In the wake of Jharel Cotton‘s injury, a UCL strain requiring season-ending Tommy John surgery, the Athletics have reached into the free agent market adding a familiar starter.

The A’s announced Saturday that they have reached an agreement with Trevor Cahill pending a physical, according to MLB.com’s Jane Lee.

Cahill, 30, spent his first three big league seasons in Oakland, garnering an All-Star nod in 2010, a season in which he finished ninth in the American League Cy Young race. In those three years, the Oceanside native made 96 appearances (all as a starter) going 40-35 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.322 WHIP.

In his six seasons since, however, Cahill has struggled to find the same level of sustained success going 33-44 and falling out of the rotation just two seasons after being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 2012 season.

Cahill split his time between the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals on 2017, appearing in just 21 games (14 starts) and finishing 4-3 with a 4.93 ERA. He has not logged more than 100 innings in a season since 2014 after back-to-back 200-plus inning seasons in 2011-12.

He will fold directly into the rotation race, which will now feature five hurlers battling for the final three spots.

Kalama Hines is SFBay’s sports director and Oakland Athletics beat writer. Follow @SFBay and @HineSight_2020 on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of A’s baseball.