As 2020 heads into its final hours, the Cubs are once again at the top of my Twitter feed. This time making a splash in the trade market with one of the hottest teams on planet Earth, The Padres. When you think of the Padres you think of young exciting Major League ready players. Trent Grisham, Mackenzie Gore (top pitching prospect), Luis Campusano, Jake Cronenworth, and many more. The Padres are flush with prospects and young MLB ready players. And for a guy coming off a Cy Young runner-up season who throws video game breaking pitches, I was hoping to get one of these guys. Especially when you toss in Victor Caratini. Give me Grisham and Gore. Give me Gore and Cronenworth. Nope…get ready for 2024.
The Cubs got the following in return…
Zach Davies (RHP):
We saw Zach a lot when he played for Milwaukee. He is a 27 year-old right hander who relies heavily on a changeup that sits around 80mph and a sinker that sits at 89mph occasionally mixing in a cutter. That’s a guy who throws 3 or 4 pitches…Yu had 10 in his arsenal. Davies is a throwaway piece in this trade but he’s the ONLY major league ready piece.
Reginald Preciado (SS):
Preciado is the 11th ranked prospect in the Padres organization. He’s a 6’ 4” 185lbs switch hitter and is predicted to make an MLB debut in 2024. “Preciado is a lean and athletic shortstop with a large frame and a projectable body. He has the types of tools that can make an impact on both sides of the ball and tons of upside. The 16-year-old signed with the Padres for $1.3 million, a record for any prospect out of Panama.”
Owen Caissie (OF):
Caissie is the 13th ranked prospect in the padres farm system and was the 2nd pick in the 2020 MLB draft. 6’4”, 190lb 18 year-old out of Canada. “Caissie has the tools to fit the right field profile very well, starting with his plus raw power. He has legit pop from the left side of the plate, with the ability to drive the ball to all fields. Some scouts have questioned his bat path, leading to some concerns about his ability to get to that power, but he has shown the ability to make adjustments in the past.” Definitely has some bat path issues as you can see in the video below. But this kid could be good….in 2024.
Ismael Mena (OF):
This 18 year-old is 15th ranked prospect in the Padres farm system. Another bigger kid standing at 6’3” 185lbs, Mena was signed out of the Dominican Republic. “Big, athletic, wiry and full of potential, Mena has drawn comparisons to a young Franchy Cordero or Gregory Polanco. Mena covers the strike zone well and hits everything hard from the left side of the plate. He has a knack for barreling up balls and has future average power. He projects to hit second or third in the lineup but could eventually be a leadoff hitter because of his hit tool and plus running abilities. He projects to steal between 15 and 25 bases in the big leagues.”
Yeison Santana:
Santana is the only player out of the 4 prospects that has had minor league ABs. 294 total at-bats getting on base at a .418 clip and averaging .306 over the 77 games. “A natural shortstop who also projects well at the plate, he garnered Dominican Summer League All-Star honors during his pro debut and then broke out offensively in the 2019 Rookie-level Arizona League, slashing .346/.429/.494 at age 18. Santana’s selectively aggressive approach is advanced for a player his age, and he has already shown that he can do damage on pitches in the zone. He has a solid foundation for development, possessing a blend of bat speed, patience and feel for the barrel, with remaining physical projection that points toward future power gains.” He’s 20 years old and projects to hit the MLB in 2023. A really solid defensive shortstop joins the group of young SS’s that the Cubs have. Never a bad thing to have a bunch of athletic guys.
This was a depressing trade. Another moment of realization as a Cubs fan that this team and front office is not trying to compete today or even tomorrow. They traded away a potential Cy Young award winner and an MLB catcher for 4 guys who will join Ed Howard on the team in 2024. Trading Caratini makes sense because you have Miguel Amaya climbing the minor league system. But not getting Major League ready (2020-2022) guys in exchange for Yu when the Padres had SO MANY of them really hurts. It’s a coin toss with these young guys who have a combined 77 games played. And yeah sure, some of them may pan out. Or maybe even all of them. But that’s not the point. This was originally pitched as a retool but it’s slowly starting to wreak of a rebuild as the Cubs add players that will be on the team when I turn 30 years old.
Quotes from https://www.mlb.com/prospects
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