San Diego Padres star pitcher Yu Darvish recently touched on the possibility of him retiring after the 2025 season.
Padres: Yu Darvish has no concrete retirement plans
According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune, Darvish said this about his future outlook in the MLB (San Diego Padres on SI’s Gabe Smallson):
“Each year, I just focus to play baseball,” Darvish said. “If I feel like I can’t play baseball anymore, then I’m done playing.”
Darvish added this regarding the sway that his family life may have on whether or not he will decide to call it a career:
“I have a lot of kids,” he said. “So I have to see what are we doing now, where are we at and balance with the baseball.”
Padres: Darvish’s still stout despite injuries in 2023-24
Age may be a major motivator for Darvish to retire. He is 38-years-old and approaching his age-39 season. Nevertheless, he still has much left in the tank.
Though the Japanese talent missed time from May 30 through Sept. 3 of 2024 due to a left groin strain, he was still stout on the mound when healthy. Across 16 games played, Darvish went 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.065 WHIP and 78 strikeouts.
Injuries also hampered him in 2023. No matter, the five-time All-Star’s arm talent shows no signs of regression. Thus, his retirement will come on his own terms. The Padres will likely enjoy another strong season with him as their No. 3 option next season while they still have him.