Cubs celebrate Owen Caissie debut but still make Yu Darvish trade look worse

With the debut of Owen Caissie yesterday, the Chicago Cubs brought the Yu Darvish trade back to the forefront of discussions. Over the last few years, it had seemed that Caissie was going to be the only silver lining of the deal, as he has turned into the power bat the Cubs were taking a gamble on in the package they received from the San Diego Padres.

Darvish, along with catcher Victor Caratini, was traded to the Padres for a package that included Caissie, Zach Davies, Reginald Preciado, Yeison Santana, and Ismael Mena. Davies replaced Darvish in the Cubs' starting rotation, but the trade was widely viewed as a salary dump, considering the Cubs were crying poor after the COVID-19 pandemic. The same reason why Kyle Schwarber is not still in a Cubs uniform.

As it turns out, Caissie is one of two players who remain in the Cubs' organization from the Darvish trade. The other being Preciado, 22, who has yet to show any offensive life in the Cubs' minor-league system and hasn't made it to the Double-A level yet. It seems like it's only a matter of time before he is out of the Cubs' organization.

Cubs fans can’t enjoy Owen Caissie debut without thinking of Yu Darvish trade

It was just last week that the Cubs ended the experiment with Mena, as he was cut loose from the organization last week. Mena never quite put it together offensively during his time in the Cubs' organization, though he flashed some life at the end of last season, posting a 115 wRC+ in 109 plate appearances at the Single-A level. Most recently, with the Cubs' Arizona Complex team, Mena was carrying a 43 wRC+ while hitting under .200 before his release.

The trade of Darvish damaged the reputation of the Cubs' front office, and the case can be made that they've never recovered from it. Of course, Caissie helping the 2025 Cubs reach the postseason would certainly help their cause.

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