Yu Darvish is hanging up his cleats – or is he?
The Japanese right-hander reportedly told the Padres he was retiring after 13 seasons in the big leagues. according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The news came as a shock, as he would be leaving the game with three years and $43 million remaining on the six-year, $108 million extension he signed with San Diego in 2023.
The Union-Tribune report was quickly refuted by Darvish’s agent, Joel Wolfe. who told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that his client’s days in the majors may not be over.
“Yu has not made a final decision yet,” Wolfe said, according to Feinsand. “This is a complex issue that we are still working through.”
Not long after, Darvish himself turned down the retirement talk. go to X to straighten out his story.
“You may have seen an article, and while I’m leaning toward voiding the contract, there’s still a lot to be discussed with the Padres, so the finer details have yet to be decided,” he wrote. “I am also not announcing my pension yet.
“Right now, I am completely focused on my rehabilitation for my elbow, and when I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start all over again to compete. If, once I reach that point, I feel like I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement.”
Darvish appeared to tell the Union-Tribune that he was okay with walking away from the $43 million he still owes to the Padres.
“As far as leaving a lot of money behind,” Darvish said, according to the outlet, “I look at it as if that was never mine, especially considering the money I haven’t physically earned yet.”
In December, Darvish seemed unsure whether he would pitch in the majors again.
“I’m not necessarily thinking about actually pitching as I’m going through this rehab process right now,” Darvish said, according to MLB.com. “I don’t have that in my mind. I’m just trying to rehab my arm right now. If I get the urge to come back, if I feel like I can stand on the mound and come back, then I’ll go for it. But I’ll leave it at that for now.”
Retired or not, baseball fans won’t see Darvish again until 2026 after the 39-year-old underwent UCL brace surgery on his throwing arm in November, sidelining him for the entire season.
If Darvish retires — or at least stops pitching in the MLB — it would mean the end of one of the most iconic Japanese-born pitchers to ever pitch in the United States.
Since debuting with the Rangers in 2012, Darvish has made five All-Star teams and received Cy Young votes in four different seasons, finishing second place twice, including his second season in the Majors when he led all of baseball with 277 strikeouts in 2013.
He has 115 career wins in stints with the Rangers, Dodgers, Cubs and Padres, and has the most strikeouts by a Japanese-born pitcher in MLB history.
Darvish was limited by injuries in 2025 and did not make his debut until early July after suffering from elbow inflammation in the first half.
In 72 innings for San Diego, Darvish went 5-5 with a 5.38 ERA and 68 strikeouts across 15 starts.
In the series-deciding Game 3 of the wild-card round against the Cubs, Darvish started and threw only one frame, giving up four hits and two runs in the 3–1 loss.
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