SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish found out things move fast when San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller is wheeling and dealing. The right-hander didn’t think he’d be traded away by the Chicago Cubs but was caught up in Preller’s vortex. Within the span of about 24 hours this week, the Padres obtained left-hander Blake Snell in a big deal with Tampa Bay, finalized a $28 million, four-year deal with South Korean slugger Kim Ha-seong, a deal that could be worth $34 million over five seasons if a a mutual option is excised and contains $1 million annually in performance bonuses. San Diego then obtained Darvish in another blockbuster deal. Darvish found out about it on social media. “When I woke up that morning I saw the Snell trade go down and I thought nothing’s going to happen,” Darvish said through an interpreter during a videoconference Thursday. “I wasn’t expecting the Padres to make another move but I was receiving phone calls within the hour and I found out on Twitter, yeah. “I wasn’t... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish found out things move fast when San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller is wheeling and dealing. The right-hander didn’t think he’d be traded away by the Chicago Cubs but was caught up in Preller’s vortex. Within the span of about 24 hours this week, the Padres obtained left-hander Blake Snell in a big deal with Tampa Bay, reportedly agreed to terms with Korean slugger Kim Ha-seong and then obtained Darvish in another blockbuster deal. Darvish found out about it on social media. “When I woke up that morning I saw the Snell trade go down and I thought nothing’s going to happen,” Darvish said through an interpreter during a videoconference Thursday. “I wasn’t expecting the Padres to make another move but I was receiving phone calls within the hour and I found out on Twitter, yeah. “I wasn’t expecting to be traded and obviously this happened in one single day so I was pretty shocked. Not in a bad way,” Darvish said. After running out of starting pitching during... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller reunited with an old friend in another blockbuster move Tuesday night. The aggressive Padres got Yu Darvish in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, adding another ace to their rotation after announcing a deal for Blake Snell earlier in the day. During his time in Texas' front office, Preller scouted Darvish before the Rangers acquired the Japanese right-hander in 2012. “His last season and a half has been as productive as anybody in the game. He's a force,” Preller said Tuesday night. “So I think getting back on the phone with him, catching up for a few minutes, really looking forward to being around him every single day again.” The Padres got Darvish, catcher Victor Caratini and $3 million from the Cubs for right-hander Zach Davies and four young minor leaguers. The switch-hitting Caratini caught Darvish in Chicago and batted .241 with 16 RBIs last season. “We've had interest in Victor for a few years now,” Preller said. “I think he's... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller reunited with an old friend in another blockbuster move Tuesday night. The aggressive Padres got Yu Darvish in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, adding another ace to their rotation after announcing a deal for Blake Snell earlier in the day. During his time in Texas' front office, Preller scouted Darvish before the Rangers acquired the Japanese right-hander in 2012. “His last season and a half has been as productive as anybody in the game. He's a force,” Preller said Tuesday night. “So I think getting back on the phone with him, catching up for a few minutes, really looking forward to being around him every single day again.” The Padres got Darvish, catcher Victor Caratini and cash from the Cubs for right-hander Zach Davies and four young minor leaguers. The switch-hitting Caratini caught Darvish in Chicago and batted .241 with 16 RBIs last season. “We've had interest in Victor for a few years now,” Preller said. “I think he's been... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Blake Snell gave up the ball in Game 6 of the World Series, shaking his head after manager Kevin Cash’s curious pitching change. With three years left on his contract, Snell hardly considered that could be his final moment on the mound with the Tampa Bay Rays. The San Diego Padres, determined to go all the way, just wanted him that much. The upstart Padres finalized their acquisition of the ace left-hander from the Rays on Tuesday, sending four prospects in exchange for the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner. The Rays will receive right-handers Luis Patiño and Cole Wilcox and catchers Francisco Mejía and Blake Hunt — all well-regarded youngsters from a San Diego system that's been stocking the farm for years. The Padres parted with the quartet for a 28-year-old with World Series experience and a youthful confidence that should fit in alongside stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. “They’re super exciting,” Snell said. “They’re a team that plays with a lot of fun. They’re... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller reunited with an old friend in another blockbuster move Tuesday night. The aggressive Padres got Yu Darvish in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, adding another ace to their rotation after announcing a deal for Blake Snell earlier in the day. During his time in Texas' front office, Preller scouted Darvish before the Rangers acquired the Japanese right-hander in 2012. “His last season and a half has been as productive as anybody in the game. He's a force,” Preller said Tuesday night. “So I think getting back on the phone with him, catching up for a few minutes, really looking forward to being around him every single day again.” The Padres got Darvish, catcher Victor Caratini and cash from the Cubs for right-hander Zach Davies and four young minor leaguers. The switch-hitting Caratini caught Darvish in Chicago and batted .241 with 16 RBIs last season. “We've had interest in Victor for a few years now,” Preller said. “I think he's been... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The aggressive San Diego Padres traded for another big arm on Tuesday night, acquiring Yu Darvish in a blockbuster deal with the Chicago Cubs. The Padres got Darvish, catcher Victor Caratini and cash from the Cubs for right-hander Zach Davies and four young minor leaguers. The switch-hitting Caratini caught Darvish in Chicago and batted .241 with 16 RBIs last season. Davies went 7-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 12 starts for San Diego this year. The package of prospects headed to Chicago includes Owen Caissie, an 18-year-old outfielder who was selected by the Padres in the second round of this year's amateur draft. The 34-year-old Darvish was 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for Chicago during the pandemic-shortened season, finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award race. He has three years and $59 million left on the $126 million, six-year deal he signed with the Cubs before the 2018 season. San Diego also completed a big trade Tuesday with Tampa Bay for ace left-hander Blake Snell.... [More]

The aggressive San Diego Padres traded for another big arm on Tuesday night, acquiring Yu Darvish in a blockbuster deal with the Chicago Cubs. The Padres got Darvish, catcher Victor Caratini and cash from the Cubs for right-hander Zach Davies and four young minor leaguers. The switch-hitting Caratini caught Darvish in Chicago and batted .241 with 16 RBIs last season. Davies went 7-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 12 starts for San Diego this year. The package of prospects headed to Chicago includes Owen Caissie, an 18-year-old outfielder who was selected by the Padres in the second round of this year's amateur draft. The 34-year-old Darvish was 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for Chicago during the pandemic-shortened season, finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award race. He has three years and $59 million left on the $126 million, six-year deal he signed with the Cubs before the 2018 season. San Diego also completed a big trade Tuesday with Tampa Bay for ace left-hander Blake Snell. The 2018 AL Cy... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Blake Snell gave up the ball in Game 6 of the World Series, shaking his head after manager Kevin Cash’s curious pitching change. With three years left on his contract, Snell hardly considered that could be his final moment as a Tampa Bay Ray. The San Diego Padres, determined to go all the way, just wanted him that much. The upstart Padres finalized their acquisition of the ace left-hander from the Rays on Tuesday, sending four prospects in exchange for the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner. The Rays will receive right-handers Luis Patiño and Cole Wilcox and catchers Francisco Mejía and Blake Hunt — all well regarded youngsters from a San Diego system that's been stocking the farm for years. The Padres parted with the quartet for a 28-year-old with World Series experience and a youthful confidence that should fit in alongside stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. San Diego also acquired starter Yu Darvish from the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, giving the ascending Padres two... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Blake Snell gave up the ball in Game 6 of the World Series, shaking his head after manager Kevin Cash’s curious pitching change. With three years left on his contract, Snell hardly considered that could be his final moment as a Tampa Bay Ray. The San Diego Padres, determined to go all the way, just wanted him that much. The upstart Padres finalized their acquisition of the ace left-hander from the Rays on Tuesday, sending four prospects in exchange for the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner. The Rays will receive right-handers Luis Patiño and Cole Wilcox and catchers Francisco Mejía and Blake Hunt — all well regarded youngsters from a San Diego system that's been stocking the farm for years. The Padres parted with the quartet for a 28-year-old with World Series experience and a youthful confidence that should fit in alongside stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Snell gives the ascending Padres an established ace at the front of the rotation as they attempt to catch the... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres finalized their acquisition of ace left-hander Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays, sending four prospects in exchange for the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner. The Rays will receive right-handers Luis Patiño and Cole Wilcox and catchers Francisco Mejía and Blake Hunt in the deal announced Tuesday. Snell went 4-1 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 regular season, then went 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in six postseason starts for the American League champions. The 28-year-old lefty gives the ascending Padres an established ace at the front of the rotation as they attempt to catch the Dodgers in the NL West. San Diego is also working to finalize a deal for Chicago Cubs starter Yu Darvish, according to reports from ESPN, The Athletic and others. “This team can play and we’re going to be chasing a World Series, which is obviously the most exciting piece to this whole thing,” Snell said. With a young and talented team that features shortstop... [More]

Two months ago, Blake Snell got yanked off the mound with a two-hit shutout going in the final game of the World Series. Now, the Tampa Bay Rays are ready to ship him out of town. The San Diego Padres are close to completing a blockbuster trade to acquire Snell from the defending AL champions. The teams have an agreement in place and the star pitcher was told he’ll be sent to the Padres — subject to the review of medical records, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press late Sunday night on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. According to The Athletic and ESPN, the Rays would receive 21-year-old pitcher Luis Patiño, catcher Francisco Mejía, pitching prospect Cole Wilcox and catching prospect Blake Hunt in return. The Athletic was first to report the players headed from San Diego to Tampa Bay if the trade is finalized. Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, was 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts during the pandemic-shortened... [More]

The San Diego Padres are close to completing a blockbuster trade to acquire star pitcher Blake Snell from the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays. The teams have an agreement in place and Snell was told he’ll be sent to the Padres — subject to the review of medical records, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press late Sunday night on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. According to The Athletic and ESPN, the Rays would receive 21-year-old pitcher Luis Patiño, catcher Francisco Mejía, pitching prospect Cole Wilcox and catching prospect Blake Hunt in return. The Athletic was first to report the players headed from San Diego to Tampa Bay if the trade is finalized. Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, was 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He had 63 strikeouts in 50 innings. Snell went 2-2 in the AL playoffs, then racked up 18 strikeouts in 10 innings and compiled a 2.70 ERA during... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The euphoria of the San Diego Padres’ first playoff series victory in 22 seasons quickly gave way to the pain of being swept out of the playoffs by their biggest rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Spring training can’t get here soon enough for the Padres, who finally shed their rebuilding label and rode the swagger and talent of budding superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado to their first winning season since 2010 and reinvigorated a fan base that had been beaten down by so much losing. “We know how to win now,” said right fielder Wil Myers, their longest-tenured played who had a nice bounceback season at the plate. “We’re expecting to win. We’ve got great players in here. I know we came up short tonight, but there’s a lot of optimism here in San Diego. It’s going to be a great offseason for us. Ready to rock and roll and come back next year with a different mentality.” Led by rookie manager Jayce Tingler, the Padres lost 12-3 Thursday night and were swept out of... [More]

A capsule look at the best-of-five playoff series between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers in Arlington, Texas, beginning Tuesday: ___ Season Series: Dodgers won 6-4. ___ SAN DIEGO PADRES Record: 37-23. Playoff Entry: second place, NL West. Playoff Seed: No. 4. Manager: Jayce Tingler (first season). Projected Rotation: RHP Chris Paddack (4-5, 4.73 ERA, 58 Ks in 59 IP), RHP Zach Davies (7-4, 2.73), RHP Dinelson Lamet (3-1, 2.09), RHP Mike Clevinger (3-2, 3.02 with Indians and Padres; 2-1, 2.84 in 4 starts for San Diego after trade). Top Hitters: SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (.277, 17 HRs, 45 RBIs, 11 SBs), 3B Manny Machado (.304, 16, 47), RF Wil Myers (.288, 15, 40). Top Relievers: RHP Trevor Rosenthal (1-0, 1.90 ERA, 4 saves), LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-0, 1.45, 4 saves, 29 Ks, 10 BBs). Series Summary: The Padres are in the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, and they overcame an old nemesis in the first round by rallying past St. Louis 2-1 in a best-of-three set to win a postseason... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Reliever Craig Stammen will start for the San Diego Padres in the decisive Game 3 of the NL wild-card series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night. The Padres were forced to go with a bullpen game because starters Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet were left off the wild-card series roster with arm injuries that forced them out of their final regular-season starts. Tingler said the Padres tapped the 36-year-old Stammen because he wasn't one of the nine pitchers they used in a thrilling 11-9 win Thursday night. Stammen threw 26 pitches in a scoreless inning in the Padres' 7-4 loss in Game 1. Tingler said Zach Davies, who started Game 2, and Chris Paddack, who was roughed up in losing Game 1, will be available for Game 3. San Diego rallied Thursday night behind Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wil Myers, who each hit two home runs. They became the first teammates to hit multiple homers in the same postseason game since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees did it in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, exactly 88 years ago Thursday night. That included Ruth's famed “called shot." Stammen had a seesaw regular season, going 4-2 with a 5.63 ERA in 24 appearances. He hasn't started since 2010, when 19 of his 35 appearances for the Washington Nationals were starts. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ GOING SHORT-HANDED? The Marlins are hoping center fielder Starling Marte can play through a broken bone in his left hand as they try to eliminate the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Marte was hit by a fastball in the ninth inning of Miami’s 5-1 win Wednesday, and X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture in his fifth metacarpal -- the bone that leads into the pinkie finger. The team is optimistic and is still considering him day to day. Marte started in the opener of the best-of-three series after he was hit on the front of his helmet by a fastball during Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Yankees. “He’s been like a target almost,” manager Don Mattingly said. “But he’s been bouncing back from everything else so hopefully we get good results with everything and we’ll see where he’s at.” Yu Darvish starts for the NL Central champion Cubs, and rookie right-hander Sixto Sánchez get the ball for upstart Miami, which is in the playoffs for... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday: ___ GOING SHORT-HANDED? The Marlins are hoping center fielder Starling Marte can play through a broken bone in his left hand as they try to eliminate the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Marte was hit by a fastball in the ninth inning of Miami’s 5-1 win Wednesday, and X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture in his fifth metacarpal -- the bone that leads into the pinkie finger. The team is optimistic and is still considering him day to day. Marte started in the opener of the best-of-three series after he was hit on the front of his helmet by a fastball during Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Yankees. “He’s been like a target almost,” manager Don Mattingly said. “But he’s been bouncing back from everything else so hopefully we get good results with everything and we’ll see where he’s at.” Yu Darvish starts for the NL Central champion Cubs, and rookie right-hander Sixto Sánchez get the ball for upstart Miami, which is in the playoffs... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Starting pitchers Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet were left off the San Diego Padres’ 28-man roster for their wild card series against the St. Louis Cardinals due to injuries that forced them out of their final regular-season starts. The Padres hoped the two would be healthy enough to pitch in the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Clevinger threw a bullpen session Tuesday and Lamet had thrown on Monday. Clevinger left after just one inning of his home start against the Angels on Sept. 23 with what was at first described as biceps tightness but later diagnosed as an elbow impingement. He had a cortisone shot on Friday. Lamet left his start at San Francisco on Friday with biceps tightness. General manager A.J. Preller said the Padres felt neither pitcher was capable of making an 80-pitch start. Right-hander Chris Paddack was scheduled to start the series opener Wednesday. Clevinger and Lamet were included on the taxi squad, as were left-handed prospects MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers. Zach Davies is scheduled to start Game 2 on Thursday. If the series goes three games, it will be all hands on deck, general manager A.J. Preller said. More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A capsule look at the best-of-three playoff series between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres beginning Wednesday. All games in San Diego: ___ ST. LOUIS CARDINALS Record: 30-28. Playoff Entry: second place, NL Central. Playoff Seed: No. 5. Manager: Mike Shildt (third season). Projected Rotation: RHP Adam Wainwright (5-3, 3.15 ERA), RHP Jack Flaherty (4-3, 4.91), LHP Kwang Hyun Kim (3-0, 1.62). Top Hitters: 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.304, 6 HRs, 21 RBIs), C Yadier Molina (.262, 4, 16), 2B Kolten Wong (.265, 1, 16). Top Relievers: RHP Giovanny Gallegos (2-2, 3.60, 4 saves), LHP Andrew Miller (1-1, 2.77, 4 saves), LHP Austin Gomber (1-1, 1.86), RHP Alex Reyes (2-1, 3.20, 1 save, 27 Ks in 19 2/3 IP). Series Summary: The Cardinals are back in the playoffs after reaching the NL Championship Series last season. They overcame some long odds to do it, too. Injuries have robbed them of RHP Dakota Hudson, RHP Carlos Martinez and several other pieces in their bullpen. A COVID-19 outbreak early... [More]