Darvish ‘shocked’ by trade
Pitcher gets emotional talking about his 3 seasons in Chicago
Yu Darvish regained his dominance during his tenure with the Chicago Cubs after electing to work at a more deliberate pace.
But an emotional Darvish — who said he was caught off guard by his trade to the San Diego Padres — was forced to pause twice in a spontaneous manner Thursday during a video conference with reporters when discussing the bond he built with Cubs teammates, coaches and staff.
After being asked about his three seasons with the Cubs, the pitcher said, “That’s a hard one. Give me one second.”
Darvish, through an interpreter, eventually expressed his appreciation for the support fans extended through social media during his first 1½ seasons, which were was beset by wildness and injuries.
Darvish, whose trade infuriated fans who believe the Cubs’ chances for a championship have effectively dissolved into a rebuilding phase, was brought to tears reminiscing about the friendships he cultivated with many members of the organization, including traveling secretary Vijay Tekchandani, and planned to meet with them over dinner during spring training.
Darvish, 34, who finished second to Trevor Bauer for the National League Cy Young Award in 2020, never thought the Cubs would trade him. His reasoning went much deeper than his 2.40 ERA over his final 25 starts with 211 strikeouts and 21 walks in 1572⁄ innings during that span.
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“I wasn’t expecting to be traded,” said Darvish, who was dealt with personal catcher Victor Caratini for pitcher Zach Davies and four low-level prospects. “And obviously this happened in one single day. I was pretty shocked. (But) not in a bad way.
“With what’s happening with the coronavirus and money that the Cubs have, I wasn’t thinking about being traded. Also, they are a winning team. I thought we’d be able to compete. But obviously I was shocked in a good way.”
According to Darvish, his former teammates were just as surprised. By trading Darvish, the Cubs moved $59 million in salary over the next three seasons. They also face decisions on potential free agents Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo. All-Star catcher Willson Contreras can become a free agent after 2022 and could command highly coveted young starting pitching in any potential deal.
“A lot of my teammates, a lot of staff reached out to me, and everyone was pretty shocked and felt bad,” Darvish said. “But I’m always grateful being a Cub.”
Darvish said during his first two seasons with the Texas Rangers, his mother said he would eventually play for the Padres.
“So this being a reality is great, and I’m excited to play for the Padres,” Darvish said. “But I don’t know if this is the last time I’ll move around. But I’m always forever grateful to be a Cub.”
Being dealt to the Padres didn’t seem like a possibility to Darvish when he woke up Monday morning after learning they were about to acquire 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner Blake
Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I thought nothing is going to happen and wasn’t expecting the Padres to make another move,” he said. “But I was receiving phone calls and within the hour I found out on Twitter.”
Darvish joins a Padres team that is trending up with a formidable rotation.
“This is one of the best teams in
baseball right now,” he said. “And actually I wanted to throw against the Padres last season, just to see how good I was.
“I’ll always want to be fighting against the best teams. So I’m very happy to join a team that’s as strong as the Padres.”
The Cubs are attempting to
retool an offense that has stalled in two of the last three Septembers. Meanwhile, the Padres finished third in runs per game (5.42) before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.
“I’ve been having my kids watch highlights of the Padres lineup on YouTube, and they’re a very strong team and I’m really excited to watch batting practice,” Darvish said.
Adding to Darvish’s comfort is Padres general manager A.J. Preller, who was a front-office assistant with the Rangers during Darvish’s first three seasons (201214). They chatted on FaceTime shortly after the trade was completed.
The other security blanket is that Caratini will accompany him. Darvish has a 2.80 ERA with an 8.27 strikeout-to-walk rate in 196 1/3 innings with Caratini behind the plate.
Darvish half-jokingly said he told his agent to tell Preller to include Caratini in the deal.
The expectations will be just as great with the Padres because Darvish was acquired to help them overtake the Dodgers.
“The Dodgers aren’t just good at batting and hitting or hitting and pitching,” Darvish said. “They’re good throughout the whole nine innings of the game.
“I haven’t faced them as much while I’ve been in the league, and I don’t know how effective I’ll be. But I just want to be able to study and learn, day by day, and just keep watching film on the Dodgers, and hopefully we can beat them.”