Another Blockbuster in San Diego
Photo Via: Getty Images
The Padres did not even allow the Blake Snell acquisition news to sink in for 24 hours before making their next splash in the trade market. Yu Darvish is next to join San Diego’s star-studded rotation after nearly taking home the National League Cy Young Award in 2020. Catcher Victor Caratini will also go from Chicago to San Diego. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported the acquisition Monday night.
Starting pitcher Zach Davies and a group of prospects will go to Chicago in the deal. Davies possibly took a leap forward in the shortened season in 2020. The right-hander had a career best 2.73 ERA and 8.2 K/9 in 12 starts. Davies has been a reliable starter since entering the major leagues in 2015, as he only has one season with an ERA of 4.00 or higher (2018).
The four prospects headed to Chicago are shortstops Reginald Preciado and Yeison Santana, along with outfielders Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena. Preciado was signed as an international free agent for $1.3 million out of Panama in 2019, as part of the July 2 (J-2) class. He is a 6’4” tall switch-hitter and is only 17 years old. Time will tell if he will be able to crack the major leagues, but it is expected. Santana was also signed as an international free agent, but out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He hit an impressive .346 average across 41 games in Rookie-ball in 2019, so his bat-to-ball skills are phenomenal. With Tatis Jr. expected to lock down shortstop for a long time in San Diego, the club had no qualms with cutting ties with a couple of its shortstop prospects. Caissie is a young Canadian outfielder who was drafted in the second round by the Padres in the 2020 Draft. He was taken right out of high school, so he is currently 18 years old and will need time in the minors to develop. Mena signed out of the Dominican Republic as a J-2 on the same day as Preciado in 2019. Mena is 18 years old as well and has received attention for his speed. The left-handed outfielder will likely eventually make the major leagues just based on his defense alone, but he also projects to hit the ball hard.
On the flip side of the deal, Darvish is coming off a season where he finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting. He won a league-high 8 games and had a stellar 2.01 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 76 innings. He will without a doubt slot right in at the top three spots of the Padres’ rotation, along with Blake Snell and Dinelson Lamet.
Caratini struggled slightly in 2020, as he mustered only 1 home run in 116 at bats, alongside a .241 average. The switch-hitting catcher was not able to receive regular at bats for most of the season because he backed up Willson Contreras. In 2019, he showed some power when he launched 11 home runs in 244 at bats. Caratini will likely back up once again, but now for Austin Nola.
All in all, the Padres have decided to get as good as they can… and fast.