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Trevor Cahill, a former MLB All-Star and longtime journeyman pitcher, has officially called it a career. Cahill, 36, quietly stepped away from the game this week, announcing his retirement through an unexpected source — the “Hall of Pretty Good” account on X (formerly Twitter). According to the post, the news was shared directly via Instagram DM, with Cahill himself giving permission to make it public.
“BREAKING NEWS: Former All-Star Trevor Cahill has officially announced his retirement from baseball,” the account wrote. “Cahill last pitched in the majors in 2021, but recently made two appearances with the Gastonia Ghost Peppers of the Atlantic League.”
After 13 seasons, nearly 300 big league appearances, and stints with nine different MLB clubs, Cahill is moving on from professional baseball — officially.
While he hadn’t thrown a pitch in the majors since 2021, Cahill’s career was one of quiet consistency, filled with underappreciated impact and a handful of memorable highs. He finishes with a career 4.26 ERA, 88 wins, and more than 1,000 strikeouts — the kind of résumé that earns you respect from peers, even if it won’t land you in Cooperstown.
Trevor Cahill steps away after a pretty good 13-year career
Cahill’s best stretch came early in his career, particularly with the Oakland Athletics. Drafted by the A’s in the second round of the 2006 MLB Draft, Cahill quickly ascended through the system and made his big league debut in 2009 at just 21 years old. A year later, in 2010, he earned his lone All-Star nod after posting a stellar 18–8 record and a 2.97 ERA for Oakland.
That season remains a defining moment in his career, as he helped anchor a young A’s rotation with poise beyond his years. He’d go on to pitch 117 games for Oakland, the most of any team he played for.
Following his breakout with the A’s, Cahill bounced around the league — suiting up for the Diamondbacks, Braves, Cubs, Padres, Royals, Angels, Pirates, and even briefly the Giants. His second-most appearances came with Arizona (90 games), but some of his most effective outings came in Chicago.
In two seasons with the Cubs (2015–2016), Cahill reinvented himself as a bullpen weapon. He posted a 2.61 ERA over 67 appearances during that span, becoming a valuable contributor for a team on the rise. Though he wasn’t part of the Cubs' World Series roster in 2016, his impact in the years leading up to their historic title run didn’t go unnoticed.
What made Cahill unique was his adaptability. Originally a starting pitcher, he spent the second half of his career switching between roles — starter, long reliever, setup man — whatever the team needed, he delivered. That versatility helped him extend his career well beyond the typical shelf life of a mid-rotation starter.
His last appearance in the majors came with the Pirates in 2021. Since then, Cahill had been mostly out of the spotlight, aside from his brief stint with the Atlantic League’s Gastonia Ghost Peppers earlier this year.
Trevor Cahill might not be enshrined in any Hall of Fame, but he’s exactly the kind of player baseball lifers appreciate: reliable, selfless, and skilled enough to last over a decade in the toughest league in the world. As he now steps away from the game officially, Cahill leaves behind a career that fits right in the sweet spot between stardom and cult classic — a true member of the Hall of Pretty Good.
