7 years agoOakland Athletics starting pitcher Trevor Cahill was very solid for a good part of the 2017 season before a strong turn for the worse left him with a team heading into Spring Training. In 11 starts with the Padres, Cahill was 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA and a 10.6 strikeout per nine rate that was only matched in 17 innings as a reliever for the Cubs in 2015. Coming off of a 2016 season with Chicago where he posted a 2.74 ERA in 65 2/3 innings and a 2015 stint where he had a 2.12 ERA, fantasy owners could have believed that Cahill had found the fountain of youth; then he got traded to the Royals. In 23 innings with Kansas City, Cahill allowed 21 earned runs and posted a 2.35 WHIP, striking out just 15 batters and walking 21. Cahill did allow too many hits with San Diego (58 in 61 innings), but nothing went right in Kansas City, where he also allowed 10 home runs. While he has not been the same pitcher since going 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 2010 for the Athletics, Cahill has seen a jump in strikeouts over the last four seasons (8.7 per nine) and showed with the Padres that he can be a solid starter in the right environment. Even with his struggles, Cahill's 28.9% hard hit ball rate was his lowest since 2012 and he maintained a strong ground ball rate (55.6%). While he is not the most ideal of starting pitching options, if Cahill can maintain his strong strikeout and ground ball rate, he is a good spot starter for fantasy teams.--Chris Zolli