Back in December, we heard rumors that the Pirates were interested in signing Trevor Cahill. He ended up re-signing with the Chicago Cubs, who plan to use him in the bullpen. Nick Cafardo reported back then that both the Baltimore Orioles and Pirates were looking to sign Cahill as a starting pitcher. Today, news came out that not only were the Pirates offering him a better role than the Cubs, they also made him an offer for two years. He turned down that offer to sign for one year and $4.25M with the Cubs.
Cahill was considering the Pirates, but he said he really enjoyed his time in Chicago and decided to return to familiar surroundings. You don’t often hear about a team losing out when they offer more years and a better role for a pitcher. You definitely don’t expect that team to be the Pirates over a big market team, but familiarity won out in this case. Cahill seemed perfect for a bounce back season and the Pirates seemed like a good fit for him in that goal, but he decided for less security and a smaller role, which could hurt him in the future.
Chris Bosio says Trevor Cahill turned down a two-year deal to start for #Pirates in taking one-year offer to stay with #Cubs bullpen.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) January 16, 2016