Yu Darvish gets $90 million from Padres to stay through ’28 Bo Bichette, Blue Jays finalize $33.6M, 3-year contract

SAN DIEGO – Yu Darvish signed a new contract with the San Diego Padres on Thursday that guarantees the 36-year-old ace an additional $90 million and will keep him at the club through the 2028 season.

The right-hander, who has a bewildering array of offers, will make $108 million over six years, including the $18 million he was already due in 2023 before he was due to become a free agent. The contract with San Diego will remain with him until the age of 42.

The Padres scheduled a press conference with Darvish and the general manager. AJ Preller on Friday.

Darvish helped the Padres to the NL Championship Series last season, which was one of the best of his 11-year major league career. He finished the year 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA and 197 strikeouts. He was 2-1 in the postseason.

In 2020, the Cubs traded Darvish to the Padres.

The deal is the latest in free spending Padres. Darvish leads the rotation, which also includes goods from his hometown. Joe Musgrove, who signed a five-year, $100 million contract in July. They signed a shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal in December, though Fernando Tatis Jr. will be eligible to return on April 20 following an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Tatis will move to the outfield, possibly to the right.

The Padres, who are still aiming for their first World Series championship, may have even bigger expenses ahead. All-Star third baseman Manny Machado may opt out of his 10-year, $300 million contract after the 2023 season, and the Padres would like him to end his career in San Diego. Machado finished second in NL MVP voting last year.

TORONTO – Infielder Beau Bichette and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a three-year, $33.6 million contract on Thursday.

The 24-year-old, son of former All-Star Dante Bichette, hit .290, 43 doubles, 24 home runs and 93 RBIs last year. He was an All-Star in 2021 when he batted .298 with 29 homers and 102 RBIs.

He asked for a pay raise from $723,500 to $7.5 million and was offered $5 million, the largest gap between the 33 players and teams that exchanged offered salaries last month.