National League MLB Baseball
Pitcher Yu Darvish in 2014, while with the Texas Rangers. Photo credit: Keith Allison, via Wikimedia Commons

The San Diego Padres are at it again.

They will trade for 2020 National League Cy Young Award finalist Yu Darvish, according to ESPN, less than a day after outlets reported that the team was on the cusp of acquiring Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell.

ESPN quoted “sources familiar with the deal” in outlining the details of the trade, with the Chicago Cubs.

The Padres will get Darvish and catcher Victor Caratini in exchange for starting pitcher Zach Davies and four prospects, the oldest of which, Yeison Santana, is 20.

Darvish had an 8-3 record in 2020 in his third year with the Cubs. After starting his pro career in Japan, he came to the Major Leagues eight years ago, posting a 71-56 record. He also has played for the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Davies, in his first year with the Padres, had a 7-4 record with a 2.73 ERA. He spent his first five seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Padres also signed a player from the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes – infielder Ha-seong Kim, according to MLB.com, ESPN and The Athletic, among other outlets.

Kim hit .306 with 30 home runs and 109 RBIs in 2020.

It’s the second eruption of activity this year for general manager A.J. Preller, who made six trades over the last weekend in August, culminating in the deal that brought pitcher Mike Clevinger to San Diego.

– Staff reports