The Cubs and Padres have agreed to a deal that will send right-hander Yu Darvish and Chicago catcher Victor Caratini to San Diego, reports MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The Cubs will receive right-hander Zach Davies, shortstops Reginald Preciado and Yeison Santana, and outfielders Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena in exchange.
This agreement is not a surprise, as the two sides had been in deep discussions about Darvish all day. It’s the latest bold blow from the Padres, who are coming off their first playoff season since 2006 and clearly plan to compete for their first World Series title next year. Even before hiring Darvish, they made a great addition to their rotation Sunday by agreeing to sign left-hander Blake Snell from the Rays. They also agreed to sign Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Cubs are losing perhaps their best starter in Darvish, a 2020 NL Cy Young finalist, as well as a quality catcher in Caratini. Although the Cubs are just a couple of months away from their fifth playoff spot in six years, the property entered the offseason with little chance of spending after a shortened season by the pandemic.
In fact, the Cubs saved money earlier by saying goodbye to Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora on the unscheduled deadline. It’s unclear if the Padres will take on Darvish’s entire remaining contract, but if they do, it will be $ 62MM on their books for the next three years.
Caratini is much more affordable, earning a projected $ 1.2 million to $ 1.6 million in 2021. Caratini isn’t on track to become a free agent until after 2023.
On the way to San Diego, Darvish will meet with general manager AJ Preller, who was part of the Rangers’ front office when they signed Darvish out of Japan before the 2012 season.
Darvish, now 34, has since enjoyed an excellent career with the Rangers, Dodgers and Cubs, and last season was probably the best yet. He finished 76 innings of 2.01 ERA / 2.23 FIP ball, posted 11.01 K / 9 to 1.66 BB / 9, and averaged 95.5 mph on his fastball.
Now he’ll be near the top of a rotation that will also feature Snell, Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack as blocks (barring other aggressive moves). The Padres also have high-level pitching prospects like Luis Patino and MacKenzie Gore, to name just a few.
Caratini, 27, was Darvish’s personal receiver in Chicago. He made his Cubs debut in 2017 and has since delivered a decent offense relative to his position, having hit .250 / .327 / .372 in 677 plate appearances. Caratini was also a well-regarded defender in Chicago, even as he ranked in the 98th percentile of Statcast in the field-framing department last season. He will join Austin Nola and Luis Campusano as receivers on the Padres’ 40-man roster.
For the Cubs, this deal represents their first successful trade under new president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, their former general manager who got a promotion after Theo Epstein resigned in November. The loss of Darvish and Caratini may not be very good for their fanbase, but the Cubs are confident Davies will help replace Darvish in 2021 and the young talent they received will emerge as cornerstones.
Davies was a high-level starter in 2020, his only year as a parent, as he posted 69 1/3 frames of 2.73 ERA / 3.88 FIP with 8.18 K / 9 and 2.47 BB / 9. He should look good alongside Kyle Hendricks as the Cubs double in 2021, although the problem is that Davies, 27, is not controllable beyond that date. He will earn between $ 6.3MM and $ 10.6MM projected through arbitrage next season.
The rest of the Cubs’ comeback doesn’t consist of any elite farmers, though Kyle Glaser of Baseball America notes that BA planned to qualify Preciado (No. 15), Mena (17), Santana (18) and Caissie (20). among the Padres’ top 20 prospects in their next Prospect Handbook. (GG) (MLB Rumors)