Padres sign young Japanese shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. The kid is only 25 and has speed and power. He hit over .300 with 30 homers, 109 rbis and 23 steals in the Japanese league this year.
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Looks like this kid is a player and the new second baseman. Cronenworth will be moving to left field from what I'm reading.Comment -
Padres now deep in trade negotiations for Yu Darvish. Wow.Comment -
Wow Padres just landed Darvish in a 7 player deal. The Padres looking to dethrone the Dodgers as the team to beat not only in the NL West but in the National League.
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Padres are all in now in 2021Comment -
Actually he played in the KBO last season for the Kiwoom Heroes who were one of the best teams in the KBO last year. I watched him play quite a few times this summer when the KBO was being showcased on espn and this kid can play. He should help the Padres out enormously and even though the Padres are set on the left side of the IF they will find a spot for this kid because he can play.Comment -
As a Cubs fan, I am absolutely sick right now. Only silver lining is my boy Peavy is going to be over the moon watching Darvish. I would highly recommend following him on Twitter by the way. I hate baseball right now, Darvish is so awesome and Cubs ownership absolutely hates their fanbase with this move. Didn’t even get a good prospect out of it, what the hell is going on????Comment -
The Cubs and Padres have agreed to a deal that will send right-hander Yu Darvish and catcher Victor Caratini from Chicago to San Diego, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. The Cubs will receive righty Zach Davies, shortstops Reginald Preciado and Yeison Santana, and outfielders Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena in return. The trade is done pending medical records, and the sides could finalize it Tuesday, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Chicago will pick up “a minor portion” of Darvish’s remaining money, Bob Nightengale of USA Today adds.
This deal does not come as a surprise, as the two sides had been in deep discussions about Darvish throughout the day. It’s the latest bold strike for the Padres, who are coming off their first playoff season since 2006 and clearly plan to vie for their first-ever World Series title next year. Even before landing Darvish, they made a huge addition to their rotation Sunday by agreeing to pick up left-hander Blake Snell from the Rays. They also agreed to sign Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim on Monday, making for an epic 24-hour period of dealmaking for GM A.J. Preller.
The Cubs, meanwhile, are losing perhaps their best starter in Darvish – a 2020 National League Cy Young finalist – as well as a quality catcher in Caratini. Although the Cubs are just a couple months removed from their fifth playoff berth in six years, ownership entered the offseason unlikely to spend after a pandemic-shortened campaign. Indeed, the Cubs previously saved money by saying goodbye to Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora at the non-tender deadline, while pricey third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant has been the subject of trade speculation. It’s unclear whether the Padres will take on all of Darvish’s remaining contract, but if they do, that’ll be $59MM on their books over the next three years. Caratini’s much more affordable, as he will earn a projected $1.2MM to $1.6MM in 2021. Caratini isn’t on track for free agency until after 2023.
In heading to San Diego, Darvish will reunite with 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 a terrific career divided among the Rangers, Dodgers and Cubs, and last season was likely his best yet. He ended up with 76 innings of 2.01 ERA/2.23 FIP ball, posted 11.01 K/9 against 1.66 BB/9, and averaged a personal-high 95.5 mph on his fastball. He’ll now slot in near the top of a rotation that lost Mike Clevinger to Tommy John surgery but will still feature Snell, Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack as locks for rotation jobs (barring other aggressive moves). The Padres also boast multiple high-end pitching prospects, including MacKenzie Gore.
Caratini, 27, was Darvish’s personal catcher in Chicago, but he was a reserve behind No. 1 backstop Willson Contreras. Caratini debuted with the Cubs in 2017 and has since offered passable offense relative to his position, having batted .250/.327/.372 in 677 plate appearances. Caratini was also a well-regarded defender in Chicago, including when he ranked in Statcast’s 98th percentile in the pitch-framing department last season. He’ll join Austin Nola and Luis Campusano as catchers on the Padres’ 40-man roster.
For the Cubs, this deal represents their first blockbuster trade under new president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, their former GM who earned a promotion after Theo Epstein stepped down in November. Losing Darvish and Caratini may not go over well for their fan base, but the Cubs are banking on Davies helping replace Darvish in 2021 and the young talent they received emerging as cornerstones.
Davies was somewhat quietly a top-tier starter in 2020, his only year as a Padre, as he recorded 69 1/3 frames of 2.73 ERA/3.88 FIP ball with 8.18 K/9 and 2.47 BB/9. He should look good alongside Kyle Hendricks as the Cubs’ one-two in 2021, though the 27-year-old Davies isn’t controllable beyond then. He’ll earn a projected $6.3MM to $10.6MM via arbitration next season.
The rest of the Cubs’ return doesn’t consist of any elite farmhands, but Kyle Glaser of Baseball America notes that BA was planning to rank Preciado (No. 15), Mena (17), Santana (18) and Caissie (20) among the Padres’ 20 best prospects in its upcoming Prospect Handbook.
Just 17 years old, BA rated Preciado 23rd in the Padres’ farm system midway through last season, writing that the 6-foot-4 switch hitter’s “frame provides hope he can grow into 20-plus home run power as he matures physically.”
Mena, 18, signed an expensive $2.2MM bonus with the Padres out of the Dominican Republic during the 2019-20 international signing period. BA lauded Mena’s speed, range and potential 15- to 20-home run power earlier this year.
The 20-year-old Santana put up impressive production in rookie ball from 2018-19, when he combined for a .306/.418/.425 line in 365 plate appearances. The Canadian-born Caissie, 18, was a second-round pick (No. 45) of the Padres last summer. BA wrote before the draft that Caissie possesses “exciting upside,” though there are “some significant swing-and-miss concerns” in his game.
All things considered, this looks like a trade between two NL playoff teams going in different directions. The Padres appear to be all in on playing for a championship in 2021. It’s hard to say the same for the Cubs, who seem to be a club in retooling mode.Comment -
Davies impressed me last year, he is a solid pitcher. He is very similar to Kyle Hendricks. He doesn't throw harder than 90mph but knows how to pitch and has good movement. You did get some good prospects but they are very young. I'm kind of shocked that we were able to keep so many of our top prospects while getting Clevinger, Snell and Darvish in trades. AJ Preller is a fukking boss.
The Padres acquired Blake Snell and Yu Darvish while keeping six of their top seven prospects entering the day, all of whom will likely be on the 2021 @BaseballAmerica
Top 100.
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Rockies now stand no chanceComment -
And you can throw in Todd Helton, a 100 percent healthy Tulo, and put DJ's stick back at 2B and the Rockies still wouldn't have a chance.
There's a reason why the Rockies have never won a division title in their history, it's because pitching and defense usually wins, almost always, not always but usually wins.
You can't pitch in Denver's altitude. just like you can't pitch at almost 8000 feet above sea level in Mexico City. How many super pitchers have come out of Mexico City?
At 5280 feet the ball travels so much further in that rarefied air then say at sea level.
It's simple science.
Look at the handful (there weren't many) pitchers that succeeded at Coors.
Marquez, Jimenez, and De La Rosa could induce hitters to put the ball on the ground.
Well De La Rosa was a high volume strikeout pitcher too.
But if I were a free agent with a God given pitching arm Denver would be the last city I would choose to pitch in on a regular basis unless a) I was offered more money than God b) I could get 80 percent of all hitters out on ground balls or strikeouts and c) even if I were the greatest ground ball inducing stating pitcher in all of Major League history I would still be reluctant to pitch in Denver unless my up the middle defense were all gold glove caliber defenders like Parrish, Whittaker, Trammel, and Lemon when the 1984 Tigers won it all.
And those few Rockies teams earlier this decade that went to the the playoffs as wild cards, Marquez and Jimenez were a big part of that equation.
Pitching and defense almost always wins.
The 2002 Angels won with pitching, not so much Garrett Anderson and Troy Glaus.
The 1995 Braves won with pitching, not so much with Chipper and the rest of the bats.
The 1990 Nasty Boys Reds beat the Bash Brothers A's with pitching, not hitting.
The Diamond Backs beat the last super team (the Yankees) with Randy Johnson and Schilling.
My favorite teams the 2014-2015 Royals won with one of the deepest bullpens in modern day history and defense, not because Hosmer and Moose and Lorenzo Cain and Sal Perez could hit 40 homers each of them over 500 feet.
Pitching and defense almost always wins.
It's proven.
It's also proven you can not effectively pitch in the city of Denver.
Denver is a legit baseball city.
Rockies fans are legit fans that know baseball.
Baseball in the city of Denver and especially at Coors though is a joke.
And even if they moved the fences back to 800 feet to straight away center I'm not sure it would even be less of a joke.
That's just the way it is.Last edited by stevenash; 12-29-20, 10:56 AM.Comment -
This a great article and highlights what a remarkable job Preller has done in trading for Clevinger, Snell, Darvish, Austin Nola and several bullpen arms in the past 5 months. After all of this, the Padres still have 6/7 of their top prospects and only relinquished 2 top 100(in all of MLB) prospects. I guess that speaks to the depth of the farm system he and his scouts have built over the years.Comment -
I keep doing this with you and I apologize but it applies.
Look how the 2014-2015 KC Royals were built.
Pretty much same formula.
KC flipped Zack Greinke for all intents and purposes four World Championship players.
There's no doubt in my mind SD will be making deep playoff runs for the next four seasons.
(or more)
God I can talk baseball all day!Comment -
I have been reading the Padres new feed since yesterday afternoon. These moves are for now and the next couple of years. Almost all key players locked up for 3+ years and the future has not been mortgaged. Preller could probably run for office in San Diego and win. I have always hoped that the Padres would win a WS before I die and now there is a legit chance for the next few years.Comment -
Odds for the Padres to win it all next year???Comment -
KC just signed the other Santana.
Ervin.Comment -
The one team you never trade with is Tampa Bay.
Padres look like they won the off-season..how has that worked out since maybe when the Diamondbacks signed bunch of guys.
Darvish is nothing special at all..decent 3rd starter. Snell is legit but what does Tampa know we don't. Tampa always ahead of the curveComment -
Problem with my Royals are we get a pair of Santana's and SD gets a pair of Cy Young types.Comment -
the offseason churns along and MLB teams continue to bolster their rosters with blockbuster trades and big-name free agent acquisitions, don't expect the Giants to fit that narrative.A
Should San Francisco make any further additions, they'll likely pass on anything major, ESPN's ESPN's Buster Olney reported Sunday, citing sources. Instead they'll elect for smaller acquisitions, with low-risk "bargain" signings in the free-agent market.
bah humbugComment -
DEC. 29, 10:07pm: Both teams have announced the trade. The Cubs will pay $3MM of Darvish’s remaining money, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com and Heyman. Darvish has $62MM left on his contract – not the previously reported $59MM – because of the incentives he reached for finishing second in 2020 NL Cy Young voting, Bastian notes.
DEC. 28: The Cubs and Padres have agreed to a deal that will send right-hander Yu Darvish and catcher Victor Caratini from Chicago to San Diego, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. The Cubs will receive righty Zach Davies, shortstops Reginald Preciado and Yeison Santana, and outfielders Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena in return. The trade is done pending medical records, and the sides could finalize it Tuesday, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Chicago will pick up “a minor portion” of Darvish’s remaining money, Bob Nightengale of USA Today adds.
This deal does not come as a surprise, as the two sides had been in deep discussions about Darvish throughout the day. It’s the latest bold strike for the Padres, who are coming off their first playoff season since 2006 and clearly plan to vie for their first-ever World Series title next year. Even before landing Darvish, they made a huge addition to their rotation Sunday by agreeing to pick up left-hander Blake Snell from the Rays. They also agreed to sign Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim on Monday, making for an epic 24-hour period of dealmaking for GM A.J. Preller.
The Cubs, meanwhile, are losing perhaps their best starter in Darvish – a 2020 National League Cy Young finalist – as well as a quality catcher in Caratini. Although the Cubs are just a couple months removed from their fifth playoff berth in six years, ownership entered the offseason unlikely to spend after a pandemic-shortened campaign. Indeed, the Cubs previously saved money by saying goodbye to Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora at the non-tender deadline, while pricey third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant has been the subject of trade speculation. It’s unclear whether the Padres will take on all of Darvish’s remaining contract, but if they do, that’ll be $59MM on their books over the next three years. Caratini’s much more affordable, as he will earn a projected $1.2MM to $1.6MM in 2021. Caratini isn’t on track for free agency until after 2023.
In heading to San Diego, Darvish will reunite with 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 a terrific career divided among the Rangers, Dodgers and Cubs, and last season was likely his best yet. He ended up with 76 innings of 2.01 ERA/2.23 FIP ball, posted 11.01 K/9 against 1.66 BB/9, and averaged a personal-high 95.5 mph on his fastball. He’ll now slot in near the top of a rotation that lost Mike Clevinger to Tommy John surgery but will still feature Snell, Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack as locks for rotation jobs (barring other aggressive moves). The Padres also boast multiple high-end pitching prospects, including MacKenzie Gore.
Caratini, 27, was Darvish’s personal catcher in Chicago, but he was a reserve behind No. 1 backstop Willson Contreras. Caratini debuted with the Cubs in 2017 and has since offered passable offense relative to his position, having batted .250/.327/.372 in 677 plate appearances. Caratini was also a well-regarded defender in Chicago, including when he ranked in Statcast’s 98th percentile in the pitch-framing department last season. He’ll join Austin Nola and Luis Campusano as catchers on the Padres’ 40-man roster.
For the Cubs, this deal represents their first blockbuster trade under new president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, their former GM who earned a promotion after Theo Epstein stepped down in November. Losing Darvish and Caratini may not go over well for their fan base, but the Cubs are banking on Davies helping replace Darvish in 2021 and the young talent they received emerging as cornerstones.
Davies was somewhat quietly a top-tier starter in 2020, his only year as a Padre, as he recorded 69 1/3 frames of 2.73 ERA/3.88 FIP ball with 8.18 K/9 and 2.47 BB/9. He should look good alongside Kyle Hendricks as the Cubs’ one-two in 2021, though the 27-year-old Davies isn’t controllable beyond then. He’ll earn a projected $6.3MM to $10.6MM via arbitration next season.
The rest of the Cubs’ return doesn’t consist of any elite farmhands, but Kyle Glaser of Baseball America notes that BA was planning to rank Preciado (No. 15), Mena (17), Santana (18) and Caissie (20) among the Padres’ 20 best prospects in its upcoming Prospect Handbook.
Just 17 years old, BA rated Preciado 23rd in the Padres’ farm system midway through last season, writing that the 6-foot-4 switch hitter’s “frame provides hope he can grow into 20-plus home run power as he matures physically.”
Mena, 18, signed an expensive $2.2MM bonus with the Padres out of the Dominican Republic during the 2019-20 international signing period. BA lauded Mena’s speed, range and potential 15- to 20-home run power earlier this year.
The 20-year-old Santana put up impressive production in rookie ball from 2018-19, when he combined for a .306/.418/.425 line in 365 plate appearances. The Canadian-born Caissie, 18, was a second-round pick (No. 45) of the Padres last summer. BA wrote before the draft that Caissie possesses “exciting upside,” though there are “some significant swing-and-miss concerns” in his game.
All things considered, this looks like a trade between two NL playoff teams going in different directions. The Padres appear to be all in on playing for a championship in 2021. It’s hard to say the same for the Cubs, who seem to be a club in retooling mode.Comment -
It is refreshing to see a "little guy" like the small market Padres push all their chips to the middle and go after a World Series championship. They've been gearing for this ever since they landed Machado and now they look like a serious contender on a short list of World Series favorites in 2021.
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Yeah.It is refreshing to see a "little guy" like the small market Padres push all their chips to the middle and go after a World Series championship. They've been gearing for this ever since they landed Machado and now they look like a serious contender on a short list of World Series favorites in 2021.
Like he ‘84 Tigers when I was a kid.
Detroit wasn’t LA, or Boston, or NYC
That was a great team for a smaller market, like the Twins with Puckett.
Another smaller market team that was easy to root for.
SD now, same scenario.Comment -
Now Preller needs to focus on the bullpen. We need a closer with Yates and Rosenthal both free agents. I'd like to bring Yates back assuming he is healthy.It is refreshing to see a "little guy" like the small market Padres push all their chips to the middle and go after a World Series championship. They've been gearing for this ever since they landed Machado and now they look like a serious contender on a short list of World Series favorites in 2021.Comment -
What MLB team has the longest Word Series Drought?Comment
