“We plan to hear his thoughts”… Darvish’s future undecided, two seasons left on contract through 2028

San Diego GM Preller said at the season-ending press conference on the 14th (local time) that Darvish’s plans for next season have not been decided. A meeting will take place within the next few weeks. The contract runs through 2028.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-line summary

At the press conference on Oct. 14 (local time), GM Preller said Darvish’s plans for next season are undecided.
Darvish missed the entire 2026 season and was reported to have been placed on the restricted list, meaning he did not receive his contractual $15 million salary.
The contract runs through 2028, with base salaries of $14 million each in 2027 and 2028.

In February 2023, Darvish signed a six-year, $108 million contract. The 2026 base salary, revealed by AP, was $15 million. Now, 3 years and 8 months later, he has not taken the mound once in the regular season this year. He reportedly received $0 in pay. The gap between the contract figures and this season’s actual numbers has grown this wide.

Darvish’s future undecided, Preller: “Meeting within weeks”

One of the issues raised at the season-ending online press conference on the 14th (local time) in the U.S. was whether Darvish would attempt to return next season. According to Nikkan Sports, GM A.J. Preller answered that next season’s plans have not yet been decided. He also said he would meet with the player within the next few weeks.

At this press conference, Preller stated “undecided” and “meeting planned.” Neither retirement nor an extended playing career has been confirmed. The meeting has not yet taken place. Preller said he would decide on a return after hearing the player’s physical and mental condition and his own thoughts.MLB.com also reported on the same press conference.

Darvish’s $15 million salary unpaid… meaning of the restricted list

Taken together, reports from Nikkan Sports and Sports Chosun indicate that Darvish missed the entire 2026 season, was placed on the restricted list, and was reported not to have received pay for that season. MLB.com explanationAccording to MLB.com, restricted list placement is different from retirement. The team’s contractual rights remain, but its obligation to pay salary may change. In this press conference, Preller assessed that the salary forfeiture helped the team add other players.

Darvish contract base salary by year

Season	Contractual base salary (USD)	Current status
2026	$15 million	Reported as unpaid after placement on restricted list
2027	$14 million	Remaining
2028	$14 million	Remaining (raise of $1 million per Cy Young Award win)

The remaining amount varies by source. AP’s published 2027 and 2028 base salaries add up to $28 million. AP listed the remaining guaranteed amount for 2026–2028 as $43 million as of March this year; subtracting the 2026 salary of $15 million still leaves $28 million. MLB.com’s latest report lists $30 million instead. The source of the $2 million difference has not been confirmed.

Darvish has 115 career MLB wins, 8 behind Nomo

Darvish is 40 years old. According to official MLB records through the 2025 season, he has pitched in 297 games, going 115 wins and 93 losses, with a 3.65 ERA and 2075 strikeouts. Adding his 93 NPB wins brings his total to 208. MLB.com announced the elbow surgery on Nov. 4, 2025, and explained that the procedure had been performed the Wednesday before.

Japanese pitchers’ MLB regular-season career wins (as accessed on Oct. 15, 2026)

Rank	Player	Career wins
1	Hideo Nomo	123 wins
2	Yu Darvish	115 wins
3	Hiroki Kuroda	79 wins
4	Masahiro Tanaka	78 wins
5	Kenta Maeda	68 wins

In career wins, he ranks second among Japanese pitchers behind Hideo Nomo, 8 wins behind. He is 36 wins ahead of third-place Kuroda. However, the Data Cafe ranking table does not show an update date, so these figures reflect the date of access. Preller’s position is that he will decide on a return after confirming the player’s intentions and readiness in the meeting. In the press conference on the 14th, Preller said: “We plan to hear what his situation is, both physically and mentally, and what he thinks.”

Frequently asked questions

Q. Has Darvish’s retirement been confirmed?

No. At the Oct. 14 (local time) press conference, Preller said plans for next season have not been decided and that he would meet with Darvish within a few weeks to make a decision.

Q. What is Darvish’s remaining salary?

Under the original contract, base salaries for 2027 and 2028 are $14 million each, totaling $28 million. MLB.com’s latest report lists $30 million, so the sources differ.

Q. What does placement on the restricted list mean?

Unlike retirement, the team’s contractual rights remain, but its obligation to pay salary may change. Darvish was reported not to have received salary for the 2026 season.

Related official sites

San Diego Padres official website — for official team announcements and roster changes
MLB official Darvish player records — for MLB season and career statistics
NPB official Darvish player records — for Japanese professional baseball records from his Nippon-Ham days

Representative image · archive photo · not a photo from the current game described in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (mjl816 on Flickr (original version), UCinternational (crop)), CC BY-SA 2.0