Trevor Cahill (RP/SP, OAK) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

Chris Zolli profiles Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Trevor Cahill as a waiver wire pickup target and/or add for Week 21 of the 2018 fantasy baseball season.

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ANALYSIS: Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Trevor Cahill is having a very solid year in 2018, bouncing back from a rough 2017 season in which he finished with a 4.93 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and an eye-popping 1.71 HR/9.  The 30-year-old had a rough close to 2017, 21 earned runs in 23 innings with the Royals, but he has rebounded in 2018.

Overall, he has posted a 4-2 record, 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 78/24 K/BB over 79 2/3 innings.  On top of his nearly strikeout per inning rate, Cahill also has a 53.9% ground ball rate for the season and a tiny .68 HR/9 rate. For further proof that these numbers are not a fluke, he is sporting a 3.23FIP and 3.33 xFIP, which are all significant in that they back up Cahill's low ERA.  Cahill has made six starts since coming off the disabled list on July 12, and he's gone 3-0 with a 4.35 ERA and a 31/13 K/BB ratio over that span.   The only blemish on Trevor Cahill's fantasy profile is his Hard Hit %, which sits at a very high 42.3% (his career average is 30.1%).

After facing the Astros in Oakland on Saturday to close Week 20, Cahill will face the Twins in Minnesota on August 23. Considering that the Twins are not a great offense and Target Field suppresses offense, Cahill makes a good one start streamer for the upcoming week. Even his start against Houston is at home, making him a decent streamer in deeper leagues for desperate owners.