It's official: Cubs trade Yu Darvish, Caratini for Davies and Four prospects
Darvish had a great 2020 season with the Cubs (Quinn Harris - USA Today Sports)

It's official: Cubs trade Yu Darvish, Caratini for Davies and Four prospects


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CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today acquired right-handed pitcher Zach Davies, minor league infielders Reginald Preciado and Yeison Santana, and minor league outfielders Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena for right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish, catcher Victor Caratini and a cash consideration.

Davies, 27, is 50-36 with a 3.79 ERA (288 ER/683.2 IP) in 123 career major league starts in all or part of six seasons with Milwaukee (2015-19) and San Diego (2020). Since the start of the 2017 campaign, he ranks tied for eighth among N.L. right-handed pitchers with 36 victories while his 3.74 ERA ranks 10th. Davies has won 10 or more games three times (2016-17, 2019 with Milwaukee) and twice made 30 or more starts (2017, 2019).

The six-foot Davies last season was 7-4 with a 2.73 ERA (21 ER/69.1 IP) in 12 starts for San Diego, walking 19, striking out 63 and recording a 1.07 WHIP while holding the opponent to a .216 batting average, a .269 on-base percentage and a .630 OPS. Acquired by the Padres from Milwaukee in a five-player deal on November 27, 2019, Davies last season set career marks in ERA and WHIP.

Originally selected by Baltimore in the 26th round of the 2011 draft out of Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz., Davies was traded to Milwaukee at the 2015 deadline for outfielder Gerardo Parra. Davies made his major league debut with the Brewers in September of 2015, and in 2017 enjoyed his most successful season as he went 17-9 with a 3.90 ERA (83 ER/191.1 IP) in 33 starts, which tied for most in the N.L.

Santana, 20, batted .346 (56-for-162) with 38 runs scored, five doubles, five triples, three homers, 30 RBI, a .429 on-base percentage and a .923 OPS in 41 games for the Arizona Summer League Padres in 2019 after making his pro debut with the Dominican Summer League Padres in 2018. The right-handed hitting shortstop was signed by San Diego in July of 2017 out of Azua, Dominican Republic.

Caissie, 18, was selected by the Padres in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School in Ontario, Canada. The six-foot four-inch left-handed hitting outfielder batted .375 with a 1.208 OPS in the 2019 Canada Cup for Team Ontario.

Mena, 18, is a left-handed hitting and throwing outfielder signed by San Diego out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in July of 2019.

Preciado, 17, is a six-foot four-inch switch-hitting shortstop signed by the Padres in July of 2019 out of Panama. In the 2018 WSBC U-15 World Cup, Preciado hit .393 (11-for-28) with three doubles, nine RBI and a .952 OPS in nine games for Team Panama.

Darvish, 34, went 15-14 with a 3.60 ERA (118 ER/294.2 IP) in 51 starts for the Cubs after signing with the club as a free agent in February of 2018. He finished second in the 2020 N.L. Cy Young Award voting after going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA (17 ER/76.0 IP) in 12 starts last season, striking out 93 with a 0.96 WHIP.

In eight major league seasons with the Rangers (2012-17), Dodgers (2017) and Cubs (2018-20), Darvish is 71-56 with two complete games, one shutout and a 3.47 ERA (434 ER/1,127.0 IP) in 182 starts, striking out 1,392 batters for an average of 11.1 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.

Caratini, 27, batted .250 (150-for-600) with 28 doubles, 15 home runs and 73 RBI in 246 games for Chicago from 2017-20 after he was acquired from Atlanta, July 31, 2014, for infielder/outfielder Emilio Bonifacio and left-handed pitcher James Russell. Caratini caught Alec Mills’ no-hitter September 13 of last season in Milwaukee against the Brewers.

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