The New York Mets have signed veteran right-hander Trevor Cahill to a minor-league contract, according to Joel Sherman.
Cahill, 34 years old, pitched in the majors last season as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In nine appearances (eight of them starts), he amassed a 6.57 ERA (65 ERA+) and a 2.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He'd previously found success with the San Francisco Giants during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, as he posted a 3.24 ERA (133 ERA+) across 25 innings in a relief role.
Cahill has bounced around a lot in recent years. After spending the first six seasons of his big-league career with either the Oakland Athletics (whom he debuted with and made his only All-Star Game appearance as part of) or Arizona Diamondbacks, he's since appeared in games with the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Athletics again, Los Angeles Angels, Giants, and Pirates.
Cahill will have to go through a stretching out period before he's a realistic option to join the Mets' big-league roster. It usually takes starters about a month to ramp up their pitch count, suggesting Cahill might not be a factor anytime soon.
The Mets are going through a rough stretch as it pertains to the health and availability of their best starters. Jacob deGrom hasn't yet pitched this season, while Max Scherzer suffered an oblique injury that is expected to sideline him for six-plus weeks. Tylor Megill, one of the Mets' breakout stars this season, is also on the injured list as he recovers from a bout of biceps inflammation.
The Mets rotation, then, stands as featuring Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, and Trevor Williams. David Peterson is expected to slot into Scherzer's vacated rotation spot beginning on Saturday.