Overview
- The Padres, which placed Darvish on the restricted list Wednesday, opened a 40-man spot used to add Walker Buehler and Ty France.
- Darvish had UCL repair with an internal brace in November and faces a 12 to 15 month recovery, so he is set to miss the entire 2026 season without announcing retirement.
- While on the restricted list he will not draw his $15 million 2026 salary, a voluntary choice he also made in 2024 when he bypassed roughly $4 million during a family leave.
- General manager A.J. Preller said the step was mapped out this offseason and does not change near-term spending, even though Darvish has $43 million left on his deal through 2028.
- With Joe Musgrove opening on the injured list and the rotation thin, some reports floated free agent Lucas Giolito as a fit, though that remains speculative and Preller downplayed fresh spending room.