Pitcher Yu Darvish has reportedly told the San Diego Padres that he intends to retire with three years remaining on his contract, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
However, Darvish’s agent, Joel Wolfe, told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that the veteran pitcher “has not made a final decision yet.
“This is a complicated matter we are still working through,” Wolfe said in response to reports.
Darvish repeated that sentiment in a statement he posted to social media.
“Although I am leaning towards voiding the contract, there’s still a lot that has to be talked over with the Padres so the finer details are yet to be decided,” Darvish wrote.
“Also, I will not be announcing my retirement yet,” he added. “Right now, I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow.”
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Darvish, 39, has pitched for the Padres for the past five seasons, compiling a 3.97 ERA while averaging 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Last season, he recorded a 5.38 ERA and 5-5 record with a strikeout rate of 8.5 per nine innings in 15 starts.
The right-hander is under contract with San Diego for three more seasons with a total salary of $46 million. He signed a six-year, $108 million extension with the Padres before the 2023 MLB season.
Darvish is recovering from UCL surgery that he had in late October. He was expected to miss the entire 2026 season because of the procedure. Turning 40 in August, it was worth considering whether or not a return to MLB was feasible. He was apparently asking himself the same questions in December.
“The way my rehab is going now, I am focused on getting right, not on coming back,” he told the SDUT’s Kevin Acee. “Right now I’m not really thinking too much about the future. Just knowing the way I think, I’m sure I will one day want to throw again. All I’ve thought about in my life is baseball.”
Darvish has made only 31 starts over the past two regular seasons due to elbow difficulties. Yet he pitched well in the 2024 postseason, posting a 1.98 ERA in two starts with seven strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings.
However, Darvish reportedly had an understanding with general manager AJ Preller that surgery on his right elbow would eventually be necessary. The pitcher acknowledged the possibility that he might “get rid of” the remainder of his contract, Acee reported. Darvish considered retiring last March when he was shut down during spring training.
Despite the uncertainty, Darvish has been a regular presence with the Padres, sitting in on meetings with free agents and attending press conferences.
If Darvish does retire, he’ll do so with a career record of 115-93, a 3.65 ERA and a rate of 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings (with 2,075 career Ks) in 297 starts. During his 13 MLB seasons, he also pitched for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
Between his MLB career and seven seasons pitching for the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League, Darvish’s 209 wins are the most for anyone who has played in both leagues. He finished as the runner-up in Cy Young Award voting in 2013 (with Texas) and 2020 (with the Cubs).
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