D-backs acquire Cahill, Breslow, cash considerations from A's
PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired All-Star right-handed pitcher Trevor Cahill, left-handed pitcher Craig Breslow and cash considerations from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for right-handed pitchers Jarrod Parker and Ryan Cook and outfielder Collin Cowgill, according to D-backs’ Executive Vice President and General Manager Kevin Towers.
“We feel very fortunate to add a young, talented started like Trevor to our rotation and an extremely durable and successful reliever like Craig to our bullpen,” said Towers. “It’s never easy to part with a prospect, but we feel like the surplus of talent that our scouting and player development staff has generated puts us in a position to build on what we accomplished this season and truly improve our team in 2012 and beyond.”
Cahill, 23, went 12-14 with a 4.16 ERA (96 ER in 207.2 IP) and .269 opponents average with 82 walks and 147 strikeouts in 34 starts for the Athletics.
Over parts of three seasons for the Athletics, Cahill went 40-35 with a 3.91 ERA (253 ER in 583.0 IP) and .253 opponents average with 217 walks and 355 strikeouts in 96 career starts.
Since reaching the big leagues in 2009, Cahill has made 30 or more starts each season and ranks tied for eighth among American League pitchers with 40 wins and 10th with 96 starts during that span.
In 2010, at age 22 and in just his second season in the Majors, he made the American League All-Star team, finishing 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA (65 ER in 196.2 IP) and .220 opponents average with 63 walks and 118 strikeouts in 30 starts. Among American League pitchers, he ranked third with a .220 opponents average, fourth with a 2.97 ERA and .287 opponents on-base percentage, tied for fourth with 18 wins, tied for fifth with a .692 winning percentage and sixth with a .332 opponents slugging percentage.
Among pitchers 25 and younger since 2009, Cahill ranks fifth with 40 wins behind only Felix Hernandez (46), Yovanni Gallardo (44), Clayton Kershaw (42) and David Price (41).
Cahill was originally selected in the second round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of Vista High School in California.
Breslow, 31, has appeared in 295 games in six big league seasons, posting a 3.06 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .225 average. The southpaw has held left-handed hitters to a .227 average during his career while also enjoying success against right-handers (.224 BA).
Over the past three seasons, Breslow has appeared in 219 games, the most among all American League relievers and fourth among all big league pitchers behind Carlos Marmol (231), Nick Masset (231) and Matt Guerrier (223). During that period, he has posted a 3.36 ERA while striking out 170 and walking 79 batters.
The Connecticut native attended Yale University, where he was captain of the baseball team and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry.
Parker, 22, rebounded from Tommy John surgery and made his Major League debut this season, making one start in which he pitched 5.2 scoreless innings in his lone big league appearance. In three minor league seasons, Parker has gone 28-19 with a 3.49 ERA in 70 starts.
Cowgill, 25, made his big league debut in 2011 and appeared in 36 games for the D-backs, batting .239 with 1 homer, 9 RBI and 2 stolen bases. In four minor league seasons, the Kentucky native has a career .299 batting average and .383 on-base percentage with 47 homers, 234 RBI and 72 stolen bases.
Cook appeared in 12 games this season for the D-backs, his first in the Major Leagues. He posted a 7.04 ERA in 7.2 innings. In four minor league seasons, the California native has a 19-26 record and 3.74 ERA in 104 games (56 starts).