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Padres acquire Darvish from Cubs in 7-player deal

Denis Poroy / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The San Diego Padres completed another blockbuster trade Tuesday, acquiring ace right-hander Yu Darvish, catcher Victor Caratini, and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a five-player package that includes right-hander Zach Davies and four prospects, the team announced.

The four prospects heading to Chicago are shortstops Reginald Preciado and Yeison Santana, and outfielders Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena.

Chicago is sending $3 million to the Padres as part of the trade, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. That amount covers a small part of the $59 million remaining on Darvish's contract.

San Diego didn't surrender any of its top-five prospects in the trade, according to MLB Pipeline, although all four are among the team's top 30. Preciado is the highest-ranked of the four, coming in at No. 11 on the club's list before the trade.

Darvish finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 2020 after going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA, 2.23 FIP, and 0.96 WHIP across 76 innings. The pandemic-shortened season was one of his finest big-league campaigns.

A four-time All-Star, Darvish has averaged 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings during his eight-year major-league career. The 34-year-old signed a six-year deal with the Cubs in 2018.

In San Diego, Darvish will sit atop a revamped rotation alongside 2018 Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who the Padres acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays earlier Tuesday. He'll help the team withstand losing Mike Clevinger, the star trade-deadline acquisition who will miss the 2021 season after undergoing elbow surgery.

Padres' projected rotation

Pitcher Throws ERA K WHIP WAR
Yu Darvish R 2.01 93 0.96 3.0
Blake Snell L 3.24 63 1.20 0.6
Dinelson Lamet R 2.09 93 0.86 2.4
Chris Paddack R 4.73 58 1.22 0.3
Adrian Morejon L 4.66 25 1.24 -0.1

Caratini has served as Darvish's personal catcher since 2019. The 26-year-old is a career .250/.327/.372 hitter with 15 homers and 73 RBIs across parts of four seasons with the Cubs. He's entering his first year of arbitration, and MLB Trade Rumors projects Caratini will earn between $1.2 million and $1.6 million in 2021.

Davies, the only major leaguer who's off to Chicago, is in his final year of arbitration, and MLBTR projects he'll pocket between $6.3 million and $10.6 million next season. The 27-year-old posted a 2.73 ERA, 3.88 FIP, and 1.07 WHIP with 63 strikeouts and 19 walks over 12 starts for the Padres last year.

Preciado, a 17-year-old from Panama, is a 6-foot-4 infield prospect. He's yet to make his professional debut.

Caissie, a left-handed hitting outfielder, was San Diego's second-round pick in 2020. The 18-year-old Canadian didn't play this summer due to the pandemic.

Santana, 20, last played in 2019 with the Padres' Arizona rookie league affiliate, posting a .923 OPS over 41 games.

The Padres signed the 18-year-old Mena out of the Dominican Republic for $2.2 million in 2019.

The Darvish trade marks the Padres' latest blockbuster acquisition, capping a busy 24 hours for the club. In addition to trading for both him and Snell, they also reportedly agreed to a four-year pact with star Korean infielder Ha-seong Kim.

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