San Diego Padres hoping to extend Yu Darvish

The San Diego Padres have Yu Darvish under team control for one more year. However, they are looking to keep him around for longer.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres are looking make certain that Darvish does not go anywhere. They are planning on engaging his representatives in talks for an extension, keeping Darvish in San Diego for the long term.

San Diego Padres still regard Yu Darvish as part of long term answer

Darvish has been relatively solid since being acquired by the Padres, although back and knee issues did hamper his 2021 campaign. He bounced back in a big way this year, posting a solid 3.10 ERA and a 0.950 WHiP in his 194.2 innings, striking out 197 batters with 37 walks. That excellent showing was followed by a stellar performance in Game One of the Wild Card Round as he held the Mets to just one run on six hits over his seven innings, striking out four.

There are concerns with any extension for Darvish. He will turn 37 next season and has close to 3000 innings on his arm between his time in the majors and Nippon Professional Baseball. There is no guarantee as to how long he will want to continue pitching either.

At the same time, this is a move the Padres may need to make. They have three potential free agents after this season and Blake Snell is under contract through 2023. Even adding another year or two to his current contract could make a difference as the Padres look to fill out their rotation going forward.

The San Diego Padres are hoping to keep Yu Darvish beyond the 2023 season. It would be a gamble, but it is one that they need to take.