Sports

BASEBALL | Yu Darvish, Padres Finalize a Lucrative Six-Year Contract

The $108 million deal locks up Yu Darvish, who reached the 3,000-career strikeout milestone last year, with the Padres through 2028, when he'll turn 42.

Published

1 year ago

February 10, 2023

Ed Odeven

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish fires a pitch to a Philadelphia Phillies batter in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on October 18, 2022, in San Diego. (Gregory Bull/AP)

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Yu Darvish was set to become a free agent after the 2023 MLB season.

That changed on Thursday, February 9 when Darvish and the San Diego Padres finalized a five-year, $90 million USD (¥11.85 billion JPY) contract extension. In total, he’s now owed $108 million USD (¥14.2 billion JPY) from the Padres.

In essence, five years were tacked on to the final year of his existing contract. He will make $18 million USD (¥2.37 billion JPY) this season.

Darvish, 36, is entering his third season with the National League West club. A five-time All-Star, he matched his MLB career-high with 16 wins in 2022. He finished with a 16-8 record, a 3.10 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 194⅔ innings. In the playoffs, Darvish posted a 2-1 record.

In September 2022, the hard-throwing right-hander became the second Japanese pitcher to reach the combined 3,000-career strikeout milestone for NPB and MLB after Hideo Nomo. Darvish made his MLB debut in 2012, when he won 16 games with the Texas Rangers after establishing himself as a star with the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters. In the majors, Darvish has a 95-75 record with a 3.50 ERA and 1,788 strikeouts in 1,488 innings.

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven.