The San Diego Padres took a huge gamble Thursday, reportedly agreeing to a six-year, $108 million contract extension with starting pitcher Yu Darvish.
Darvish had a big 2022 season, going 16-8 (most wins since his 2012 rookie season and a team-high) with a 3.10 ERA, career-best 0.95 WHIP and team-high 197 strikeouts across 194 2/3 innings pitched covering 30 starts, while finishing eighth in the NL Cy Young voting.
Darvish is already 36 years old though, and the new deal will take him through his age-42 campaign.
The move contains a full no-trade clause and was perhaps a risk worth taking for multiple reasons. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the structure of the contract “helps” the team (which has the third-highest payroll in MLB) against the luxury tax.
Passan also noted that this will be the third six-year deal of the five-time All-Star’s career after previously securing six-year contracts with the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs. Darvish started his career with the Rangers in 2012, made three All-Star teams with the club and was the 2013 NL Cy Young Award runner-up, before being sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2017 trade deadline.
He signed with the Cubs in February 2018 but was traded to the Padres in December 2020 after finishing as a Cy Young Award runner-up again.
With a 95-75 career record and 1,788 strikeouts over his 10 seasons, Darvish has an outside shot of reaching both the 100-win and 2,000-strikeout milestones in 2023. Darvish became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 1,600 strikeouts last April, accomplishing the feat in 1,302 1/3 innings pitched.
All that may be left for him to achieve is winning a World Series. With the Friars having one of the most stacked rosters entering spring training, Darvish may get his shot in 2023.
