Report: Padres, Cubs deep in Darvish talks
The San Diego Padres are deep into negotiations with the Chicago Cubs to acquire right-hander Yu Darvish, sources told The Athletic's Dennis Lin, and multiple players would head to Chicago if a deal is completed.
Cubs catchers Willson Contreras or Victor Caratini could also be part of a Darvish trade, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The news comes less than 24 hours after the Padres reportedly acquired left-hander Blake Snell in a blockbuster deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Darvish has been a Padres trade target since early in the offseason, reports Lin, who notes that San Diego general manager A.J. Preller was key in recruiting the Japanese pitcher to the Texas Rangers in 2012.
The 34-year-old Darvish had his finest season in the majors in 2020. He finished second in National League Cy Young voting after going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA, 2.23 FIP, and 93 strikeouts in 76 innings for the Cubs.
He's owed $59 million over the next three seasons.
Acquiring Darvish would give the Padres one of the most formidable rotations in all of baseball, alongside Snell and Dinelson Lamet. Mike Clevinger won't be available in 2021 as he's expected to miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
In addition to Snell, the Padres reportedly signed highly touted Korean infielder Ha-seong Kim on Monday.