(670 The Score) Admitting he was “shocked in a good way” to be traded to the Padres, ace Yu Darvish on Thursday looked back on his Cubs tenure fondly and thanked fans in Chicago for their support.
"Hearing about the trade, I struggled a little bit,” Darvish said while composing himself in a Zoom call Thursday. “But I felt better for myself and my family after Chicago fans thanked me on Twitter. I will always be grateful for being a Cub.”
News broke late Monday morning that the Cubs and Padres were in deep discussions on a trade that would send Darvish to a San Diego team with its sights set on the World Series. By Monday evening, the deal was being finalized and then became official Tuesday.
Darvish found out about the trade on Twitter, he said. It ended a three-year tenure with the Cubs, who signed him to a six-year, $126-million deal ahead of the 2018 season but who are now prioritizing their long-term future over competing at the highest level in 2021. The Cubs went 34-26 in winning the NL Central in 2020 before being swept by the Marlins in the wild-card round.
"I wasn't expecting to be traded, so you can say I was pretty shocked,” Darvish said. “I was shocked -- but not in a bad way. With the coronavirus and the money the Cubs have, I wasn't thinking about being traded. They are also a winning team. I thought we would be able to compete in 2021. Again, I was shocked in a good way. Last June (2019), the team and my teammates helped me by becoming closer and that made me the pitcher I am now.”
Darvish, 34, was plagued by arm injuries in a trying 2018 season, then started poorly in 2019. From there, he took off and endeared himself to Cubs fans while pitching at an elite level. Darvish was the NL Cy Young runner-up in 2020, when he had a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 12 starts in the 60-game regular season.
Darvish was appreciative of the Cubs organization for giving him structure and suggestions for improvement while also allowing him to tinker with his big pitching arsenal.
"The Cubs told me to prepare the way I wanted to and was comfortable with," Darvish said. “They just said to be myself. That helped me relax and be myself and get back to form.”
Darvish will now join his fourth MLB team. He’ll also be joined by Victor Caratini, his personal catcher who was also dealt from Chicago to San Diego in the seven-play trade. The Cubs received right-hander Zach Davies and four young prospects in return.
“I will still be in touch and communicate with all of those guys over there,” Darvish said of his former Cubs teammates. “A lot of the players reached out to me, and most were pretty shocked."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.