Chicago Cubs Trade Pitcher Yu Darvish to San Diego Padres

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish. Photo by Nicholas T Loverde/CSM/Shutterstock (10328032ab)

The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres have agreed on a trade that sends veteran pitcher Yu Darvish to the Padres in exchange for prospects.

The Cubs will get pitcher Zach Davies and four prospects while the Padres will get Darvish and catcher Victor Caratini.

Darvish is still under contract for three more years and is set to make close to $60 million. He also finished second in voting for the 2020 National League Cy Young Award.

However, it appears as if the Cubs are looking to free up some money and strengthen their farm team at the same time, which they will be able to do with this trade.

There are some who believe that the Cubs have a very solid roster and could be competitive in 2021, which makes the Darvish trade a bit confusing for a team that clearly isn’t rebuilding.

But it might also have something to do with Darvish’s age (34) and his recent history of injuries. After arriving in Chicago in 2018, Darvish dealt with a stress reaction in his elbow and a strained tricep.

However, he was healthy in 2020 and the four-time All-Star looked dominant once again during the shortened season.

Darvish started 12 games and averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings along with a career-best 1.7 walks per nine innings.

Gunner's favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Iron Man (just the first one), and every James Bond film ever made. He's learning TV and cinema and hoping to always enjoy movies as he does now.