Braves acquire Trevor Cahill from Diamondbacks

The Atlanta Braves added starting pitching depth Thursday, acquiring right-hander Trevor Cahill from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for minor-league outfielder Josh Elander. 

Atlanta will be responsible for $5.5 million of the $12 million Cahill is owed this season, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Cahill, a 2010 All-Star, is coming off the worst season of his six-year career. After working almost exclusively as a starter for his first five big-league seasons, Cahill shuffled between the rotation and bullpen, posting a 5.61 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over 32 appearances (17 starts). He walked an alarming 11 percent of the batters he faced - the sixth-highest rate in baseball among pitchers who threw a minimum of 110 innings - but also posted a career-best 21-percent strikeout rate.

Atlanta is looking for a rebound at a reduced cost. Cahill posted a 3.72 ERA and averaged 188 innings from 2010-13, while his 57.3-percent ground ball rate ranked fifth among qualified starters over that stretch.

"We thought he was a good buy-low type of candidate," Braves assistant general manager John Coppolella told reporters. "He's still young and has good stuff. We saw him four different times this spring. We think there should be some regression to the mean, based on what he has done in the past."

Cahill, who has a $13-million club option in 2016 ($300,000 buyout), is expected to land a spot in Atlanta's rotation. He had a 3.60 ERA with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 10 innings during spring training.

The deal saves the rebuilding Diamondbacks some money and opens up a rotation spot for the team's No.1 prospect, according to Baseball America, Archie Bradley.

Elander, 24, is a career .275/.356/.435 hitter over parts of three minor-league seasons.