Responding to a report he plans to retire, veteran right-hander Yu Darvish said Saturday he was considering voiding the remainder of his contract with the San Diego Padres but added he had yet to make final decisions, including on whether he will attempt to pitch again.
“You may have seen an article, and although I am leaning towards voiding the contract, there’s still a lot that has to be talked over with the Padres so the final details are yet to be decided,” Darvish, who will miss the 2026 season after undergoing a third elbow surgery, wrote in an X post. “Also I will not be announcing my retirement yet. Right now I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow, and if I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start from scratch again to compete. If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported earlier Saturday that Darvish had told the Padres he would retire with three years and $43 million left on his contract, with the expectation the 39-year-old would forfeit the bulk of that money. In recent years, as Darvish has dealt with age and accumulating injuries, people close to Darvish have said he has contemplated retirement. Some of the same people believe that in that event, he would agree to surrender a significant portion of the salary still owed to him.
For now, though, Darvish will continue rehabbing from UCL and flexor tendon repair without closing the door on the possibility of future competition.
“Yu has not made a final decision yet,” Darvish’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said in a statement. “This is a complicated matter we are still working through.”
Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller released a statement after The Athletic requested comment.
“We have been in regular communication with Yu throughout the offseason and his post-surgery rehab,” Preller said. “We have great respect for him and will continue to support him in his decision-making process.”
One of the most accomplished Japanese pitchers of all time, Darvish signed a six-year, $108 million extension with the Padres in January 2023, surprising the industry and even Darvish himself with the length of the deal. The number of years in the agreement, team sources said at the time, was largely driven by a desire to lower the average annual value of the contract; that year, the Padres ended up paying a luxury tax bill of close to $40 million.
Darvish has since logged a 4.41 ERA over three injury-marred seasons, falling short of his previous level as a two-time Cy Young Award runner-up. He has also demonstrated a willingness to forfeit salary, giving up about $4 million in 2024 after he volunteered to go on the restricted list. Last summer, Darvish acknowledged he had wondered whether he would pitch again after opening the 2025 season on the injured list.
He eventually returned in July and adjusted his arm slot to contend with lingering elbow trouble. In 15 starts, he showed glimpses of familiar brilliance but ultimately struggled to a 5.38 ERA.
Darvish said in December he was unsure whether he would pitch in the majors again.
“For now, I’m not necessarily thinking about really pitching as I go through this rehab process right now,” he said. “I don’t have that in my mind. I’m just trying to just rehab my arm right now.”
If Darvish does retire without reaching a financial settlement, he would forfeit salaries of $15 million, $14 million and $14 million over the next three seasons. A potential buyout would allow him to keep some of that money while giving the Padres increased flexibility to address their roster needs, which still include more starting pitching.
Either way, the Padres will continue forward in 2026 without Darvish’s on-field services. Darvish, the all-time winningest pitcher to have played in the majors and Nippon Professional Baseball, has a combined record of 209-135 and a career 2.97 ERA across the two leagues.