The Big Lead

MLB News: Veteran pitchers' sudden retirement end comeback bids

Two pitchers who combined to pitch 769 major league games from 2009-23 were still toiling in the minor leagues this month — until now.

By J.P. Hoornstra

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Daniel Bard (51) throws a pitch in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park on June 1, 2011.
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Daniel Bard (51) throws a pitch in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park on June 1, 2011. / David Butler II-Imagn Images
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It might come as a surprise to some that both Daniel Bard and Trevor Cahill were still pitching minor league games this month.

Bard, 40, had not appeared in a major league game since 2023. Cahill, 37, last appeared on a major league mound in 2021.

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Yet both pitchers were still plowing along in the minors — Bard with the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, Cahill with the unaffiliated Gastonia Ghost Peppers — until recently.

After being placed on the Tacoma Rainiers' injured list July 8, Bard's official transactions page listed him as retired Friday. Cahill pitched his final game for the Ghost Peppers on July 2; the pitcher's agent confirmed to Newsweek Sports on Friday that his client was retired.

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Bard and Cahill combined to pitch 769 major league games from 2009-23. Despite their long layoffs, both Bard and Cahill had engineered comebacks before.

Bard's career was derailed by a case of the yips. He was out of the majors from 2014-19, at one point joining the Arizona Diamondbacks' player development staff. Not only did Bard land a contract with the Colorado Rockies in 2020 — he was the Rockies' closer for the better part of two seasons.

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Bard was named the 2020 comeback player of the year and three years later pitched for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Cahill was released by the Atlanta Braves in June 2015, five years after the only All-Star Game appearance of his career with the Oakland A's. He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers later that summer, but was released by them after six minor league starts.

The Chicago Cubs took a flier on Cahill, and he became an integral part of their bullpen in 2016, when the team ended its 108-year World Series title drought. Cahill extended his career another five years after that.

Now, after outlasting most of their peers — and plenty of expectations — both pitchers are moving on to the next chapter of their lives.

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