(670 The Score) After six seasons of aiming to compete at the highest level possible, the Cubs are taking a step back.
Chicago has traded ace Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres, the team officially announced Tuesday night, a day after news of the deal initially broke. The move signaled a shift in the Cubs’ focus from prioritizing winning in 2021 to focusing on their long-term future under the direction of new president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who was promoted late November after longtime chief executive Theo Epstein stepped down.
Chicago also sent catcher Victor Caratini and cash consideration to San Diego. The cash consideration will be in the form of $3 million of the $62 million left on Darvish's contract, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported. In return from the Padres, the Cubs received right-hander Zach Davies and four prospects, none of whom rank among San Diego’s 10 best at this time, according to MLB.com – shortstop Reginald Preciado (No. 11 in Padres' system), outfielder Owen Caissie (No. 13), outfielder Ismael Mena (No. 15) and shortstop Yeison Santana (No. 16).
Darvish, 34, is coming off a sensational 2020 season in which he finished as the National League Cy Young runner-up after posting a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP while striking out 93 batters in 76 innings. Darvish, who carries a 3.47 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in MLB career, will give the Padres a top-of-the-rotation starter as they look to dethrone the reigning World Series champion Dodgers in the NL West. Darvish has three years and $62 million remaining on his contract, with $3 million of that coming as an escalator after he finished second in the Cy Young voting. Darvish originally signed a six-year, $126-million deal with the Cubs ahead of the 2018 season.
Caratini, 27, hit .241 with one homer, 16 RBIs and a .661 OPS in 44 games for the Cubs in 2020. He has hit .250 with a .699 OPS while serving primarily as a backup catcher across four MLB seasons.
Davies, who turns 28 in February, posted a 2.73 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 12 starts for the Padres last season. He has a 3.79 ERA across six MLB seasons and could plug in as the Cubs’ No. 2 starter behind right-hander Kyle Hendricks after the departure of Darvish. Davies is under team control for one more season before he’s set to become a free agent ahead of the 2022 season.
Preciado is just 17 years old. The Padres signed him out of Panama in July 2019. San Diego selected Caissie, 18, in the second round of the MLB amateur draft this past summer.
The Padres signed Mena, 18, out of the Dominican Republic in July 2019. They signed Santana, 20, out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. Santana hit .346 with three homers, 30 RBIs, four steals and a .923 OPS in 41 games in the rookie-level Arizona League in 2019.