In addition to what was once an off-season of spin and change, the Cubs are swapping ace Yu Darvish and catcher Victor Caratini for the Fathers for the right-handed Zach Davies and four candidates, according to several reports.
Darvish, 34, runner-up in the National League Cy Young after 8-3 with an ERA 2.01 in 2020, attracted significant commercial interest and was the Cubs’ most valuable asset based on his relatively reasonable skill and contract.
When Jed Hoyer assumed the presidency of the team in November, he did not hide the fact that difficult decisions were to come. But few would have predicted that these decisions would include not only position players who approach the free agency, but also the Cubs’ best starting pitcher.
“In this job, you always have one eye on the present and one eye on the future,” said Hoyer last month. “And the truth is, given the realities of times of service. . . I think this eye may be a little more focused on the future than normal. “
The Fathers were pushing hard for a catcher in the business and got their man in Caratini, who became Darvish’s personal catcher in 2019. Darvish has a career of 2.80 ERA in 31 games with Caratini.
The four candidates on the way to the Cubs are shortstops Reginald Preciado and Yeison Santana and outfielders Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena, according to reports.
Changing Darvish is the Cubs’ first big move under Hoyer, after field players Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. were not offered earlier this season. Commerce will take a significant amount of salary out of the Cubs’ books – a necessity for them. Darvish owes $ 62 million in debt over the next three seasons as part of the six-year and $ 126 million deal he signed with the Cubs before the 2018 season.
Since Memorial Day 2019, Darvish has compiled an ERA of 2.84 in 32 matches (199 ⅔ innings), averaging 11.5 eliminations and 2.4 walks across nine innings.
The Cubs were already concerned with the depth of the initial pitch, and dealing with their ace contributes to that. Davies joins Kyle Hendricks, Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay in the projected rotation. Mills and Alzolay have limited experience, despite the increase in duties in 2020, having combined for just 152 ⅔ innings.
“We understand that if we are planning 162 [games] as it is now, we will have to have some depth of pitch, ”said Cubs coach David Ross.
With Darvish now negotiated, the focus is on field players Kris Bryant and Javy Baez, who are signing their last contract of the year before becoming free agents next winter. NL Central appears to be up for grabs, but if the Cubs decided to move in the direction of dispensing the best players and salaries, a division title may be more difficult to achieve than in recent years.
“I think there are always challenges in trying to do both, which is why you need to keep an eye on both,” said Hoyer. “You have to be opportunistic when decisions arise that allow you to do both.
“I think that at some point, you have to look at the big picture. We won the division this year. We are really talented. And then I think we can do both. But it probably means being a little opportunistic at times. “