Over the past four seasons, few pitchers in the majors have been as productive as Yu Darvish. Now the Padres are inking him to a big-time extension entering his age-36 season.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand and AJ Cassavell reported Thursday that San Diego is signing Darvish to a six-year, $108 million deal that will make him one of the highest-paid pitchers in baseball.
Since the start of the 2019 season, Darvish ranks 16th among all MLB pitchers in fWAR (Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement). He has the eighth-most innings pitched (615.2), the 30th-best ERA (3.52) and the fifth-most strikeouts (718). He is coming off one of the seasons of his career, having pitched to a 3.10 ERA across 194.2 innings with 4.2 fWAR (third-best of his career) and helping pitch the Padres to the postseason.
With the extension, the Padres are keeping their ace locked up over the next six seasons, during which time they are expected to be an annual World Series contender with a strong core featuring Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado, should the latter not opt out of his current contract.
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Here's what you need to know about Darvish's new extension.
Yu Darvish contract details
Darvish has agreed to a six-year, $108 million extension with the Padres. He was headed into his walk year, with his previous free agency contract signed with the Cubs at six years, $126 million, set to expire at the end of the 2023 season. His new deal goes into effect in 2023 and ends after the 2028 season.
Feinsand reported the deal is front-loaded, with Darvish set to make $30 million in 2023. At $30 million, Darvish will be tied with Jacob deGrom and Shohei Ohtani for the 16th-highest-paid player in baseball in 2023, according to Spotrac.
Yu Darvish's extension with the Padres is front-loaded, per source, beginning with a $30 million salary in 2023.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 9, 2023
According to Spotrac, the $108 million set to head toward Darvish is tied for the 14th-largest active contract with the five-year, $108 million the Mariners signed Luis Castillo to during the offseason. His average annual value of $21 million is tied with Chris Bassitt for 16th.
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The extension is a bit of a gamble for the Padres given Darvish's age. The right-hander will turn 37 years old in August. With the deal not expiring until after the 2028 season, Darvish will be 42 by the end of the contract. No other pitcher over the age of 34 is signed to anything longer than a five-year contract.
In extending Darvish through 2028, the Padres have ensured several key players on the roster are locked into deals for the long term. Tatis, Bogaerts, Joe Musgrove and Darvish are all on deals running through the 2027 season. Machado has an opt-out after the 2023 season should he decide to leave the Friars and test free agency.
Earlier this offseason, Musgrove signed a five-year, $100 million extension that would keep him in San Diego through the 2027 season. Blake Snell, the team's other top starting pitcher, is a free agent after the 2023 campaign.
