Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Darvish contemplating retirement:
Over the weekend, Padres right-hander Yu Darvish clarified reports that he was poised to retire by noting that, while he has indeed contemplated calling it a career, he has not yet made a final decision. Negotiations between himself, the Padres, and the MLBPA regarding the final years of his contract remain ongoing.
Darvish underwent surgery on his UCL in November that will cost him the entire 2026 season. He’s owed $43MM total over the 2026-28 seasons. If he does decide to hang up the spikes and the Padres are able to work out a deal with him and the MLBPA to lessen the short-term financial burden of the right-hander’s contract, that could help create some additional financial flexibility for San Diego as soon as this offseason. The Padres are known to be interested in adding another starter and a right-handed bat to their first base/DH mix, and more budget flexibility could aid those pursuits.
2. What’s next for Cleveland after the Ramirez extension?
Seven-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer Jose Ramirez has never been shy about his desire to play his entire career in Cleveland, and after his latest extension with the club he appears all but guaranteed to do so. Ramirez signed a seven-year deal that overwrites the remaining three years on his current extension, keeping in him town through his age-39 season while also guaranteeing him an extra $106MM in new money. The deal comes with significant deferred money and takes the short-term price tag of Ramirez’s contract down by about $24MM over the next three years. If that financial flexibility is used to improve the club in the short-term, the Guardians could take the opportunity to add some much-needed right-handed help in the outfield. Harrison Bader, Austin Hays and Miguel Andujar are among the remaining free agents who’d fit that bill.
3. Will Sugano find a role in MLB?
NPB legend Tomoyuki Sugano came over to MLB for the first time last year and pitched his age-36 season as a member of the Orioles. The righty posted a 4.64 ERA with a 5.36 FIP across 157 innings of work. He led the AL in home runs allowed with 33 and struck out just 15.7% of his opponents. Despite his rough inaugural season in the majors, Sugano made clear over the weekend he wants to keep pitching in the U.S. rather than return to NPB in Japan.
Even with last year’s flaws, Sugano did manage to make all 30 of his starts last year for Baltimore, and he only walked 5.3% of his opponents. If nothing else, he could be an innings-eating fifth starter for a club with young and/or inexperienced rotation groups. Plenty of competition remains on the market ranging from Chris Bassitt to Lucas Giolito to Justin Verlander, but Sugano should have a lighter price tag than many of his veteran counterparts on the market. Will he find a role?
If Yu does retire, he’s going down as one of the best Japanese players to make the jump to MLB.
Rockies should kick the tires on Sugano, they need starters and he wouldn’t be expensive either.
One of Sugano’s biggest problems was giving up home runs and hard contact. One of the very last teams that should be interested in him is Colorado. He would be best in a place that suppresses the long ball, rather than a place that enhances it.
Valid points. Probably somewhere like the Giants or the Pirates would make sense then.
Those would make sense. Ideally, a spot on an AL Central team could work well. Cleveland and KC have 2 of the bottom four parks for home runs and he’d get to pitch a bunch of games against those lighter hitting AL Central offenses.
It doesn’t look like KC really needs him, but Cleveland might be able to find a spot for him. Not sure they would do it, but it would be a solid place for him.
Cleveland could use him and considering they don’t spend a lot on free agency, Sugano wouldn’t cost too much either.
The Reds! Arizona!
Why any team in MLB would be interested in Sugano in beyond my comprehension.
Innings. He eats them well and rarely gets so blown up you need to use your pen (mostly because he never walks anyone). That’s worth a lot to any but the top teams.
Somebody’s gotta pitch on the rebuilding teams, and the last thing you want is to overuse your young arms.
Cincy has a deep rotation. What they need is hitting. Besides, Great American is a launching pad and wouldn’t fit Sugano’s propensity for giving up the long ball….
I was just trying to think of places he absolutely shouldn’t pitch.
There are a ton of much worse pitchers who are scheduled to be in MLB rotations. He’s not great but definitely nowhere near the bottom.
KC is moving the fences in. Great for Bobby Witt, but not for Sugano.
Nats or Angels…
Where should he go? Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh could use some pitching and he wouldn’t cost a fortune.
What a boring weekend for off-season news, hopefully this week is a little more exciting than this weekend was
SD uses Yu’s salary for 2 of the 3: Sugano, Verlander, Martinez.
Sugano gave up an .800 OPS and struck out 15% of batters. Not an upgrade over the backend guys like Sears & Waldron. Possibly a downgrade since he’ll be 36.
I like Giolito better than those 3 as I think there is more upside with him and he seems primed for a Preller special.
I’d definitely take Verlander over Nicky tight pants though.
I like Gio n wished he returned to Boston.
It wouldn’t surprise to see the sort of staged settlements worked out in the next CBA. It’s probably something both sides could support. Create a roster spot, cap space, reduce the number of years the player (who can’t play) has to go through the motions, etc. You’d have to be careful about abuse, and I don’t know how disability insurance would fit in, but it would provide a sane off-ramp
Although I do believe your intentions are good mike, I do think there’s a “much ado about nothing” situation going on here. Every single injury/early retirement issue has always been amicably resolved. Insurance policies are not carried on every single player; that’s up to the team, and they don’t always buy a policy. Perhaps the most contentious retirement was Strasburg’s… and even it was resolved in fair amount of time. The Active Roster spot is a relatively moot point; they can slapped on the 60 Day at the first day of Spring Training and tossed into the closet with the other broken toys. 60% of the time it works every time.
Sex Panther!
Lmao. So good!
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Darvish said he isn’t retiring, at least not at this point. He did say he wants to void his contract and become a free agents. The finish his rehab and see if he can make a comeback.
He said it’s my contract, my life and should be able to do what he wants/. He also said the remaining money on his deal he doesn’t consider it his. He said he hasn’t done anything to of earned that money.
Where did that get reported?
Where did you hear that?
Podcast, that was shared in darvish’s X account.
Since last September, I’ve been in discussions with A.J. Preller about the remaining three years on my contract. The idea was that I would terminate the contract, fully focus on my rehabilitation, and then, if at some point in 2027 or later I feel the desire and confidence to pitch again, I would consider returning to play.
However, because of agent-related matters and various procedural steps, the discussions have not progressed as quickly as I initially hoped.
What I want to make absolutely clear is that this decision does not mean retirement. When and if I feel like coming back, I want to think about the form that takes at that time — whether it’s a major league contract, a minor league contract, or even no contract at all.
I understand that choosing to walk away from the remaining three years of my contract is difficult for many people to understand. That said, there have been cases where players announced their retirement and later reversed that decision, and I personally didn’t like that approach. I wanted to take responsibility for my own words. That’s why, at this point, I cannot define my future with certainty and am deliberately using the phrase, “this is not retirement.”
My agent fully understands and supports my decision, so there are no issues on that front. As for how the players’ union will react, I don’t know yet. Still, this is my contract and my life, and I believe that choice deserves to be respected. I don’t mind criticism itself, but to be honest, I would like to avoid the situation becoming unnecessarily complicated.
There are multiple reasons why I want to terminate the contract, including the team’s current situation. I’ll talk about those details if there’s an opportunity to do so in the future.
No other players were aware of these contract-termination discussions.
If you ask about my current status, contractually I am still with the Padres, but personally, I consider myself unaffiliated as of this offseason.
I will not receive any salary for playing baseball this year (original 2026 salary was $15 million).
Some have asked whether I want to terminate the contract simply because I don’t want to rehab while remaining on the roster. If that were the only reason, I would have just stayed under contract and taken the significant amount of money remaining over the three years.
If the contract is terminated, I would become a free agent. So even if I personally wanted to return to the Padres, if they didn’t make an offer, I could end up signing with another team. To be honest, I don’t know how that would play out.
I think the main reason this decision is hard to understand in the U.S. is the mindset of “why give up guaranteed money.” While contracts are important in Japan as well, in the U.S. the meaning and weight of a contract feels even stronger.
When asked whether terminating the contract is because I want the Padres to win, I think that’s true. Even after the uncertainty surrounding the TV broadcasting rights, the Padres’ history has continued, and it’s only natural to want the team you support to succeed. But if there are circumstances that prevent the team from giving its best effort, that’s even more frustrating.
There was also a question about what would happen if the Padres didn’t accept the contract termination. I don’t see it as a matter of acceptance. This is my contract, and if I don’t want it to continue, I don’t believe it can be forced.
At the moment, I’m rehabbing alongside Joe Musgrove and Adam.
Based on my throwing program, I expect to begin throwing again around May.
My physical condition is good, and my rehabilitation is progressing smoothly.
There is another update after this
“As far as leaving lots of money,” Darvish said last month, “I look at it as that was never mine to begin with, especially considering the money I haven’t physically earned yet.”
Thank you very much that was extremely interesting to read. I imagine his agent and the union would do everything in their power to make sure he stays in that contract.
The agent’s side is the most conflicted for sure. Wonder how this will play out?
Not sure how agents are laid out but this would likely cost him a decent amount of money. Obviously the union doesn’t want this to set a precedent.
Though Darvish seems pretty adamant about doing what he feels is right. Think there is another piece of this I’d have to find.
This is about as standup of a player stance as I’ve ever seen. He could just rehab for a year then decide to retire and still get paid the next year. He doesn’t feel like he deserves the money and dos doesn’t want to hurt the team.
How it all plays out I guess we shall wait and see. Not sure the Union can force him to take the money.
hey Simm. Thanks for sharing Darvish’s response to the initial misleading article by Acee. It’s odd how little press his clarification statement has received.
I hope the Union isn’t hard line in its opposition to Darvish’s wishes. As for setting a precedent, it’s not like too many players will ever want to follow in the footsteps of voiding a very lucrative contract. Darvish seems to be a rare case; a special kind of human in this day and age who holds his ethics above personal profit.
Yu is, was and probably always will be… so cool. Modern day bushido code stuff. So freakin’ cool. All the best to Yu and whatever he wants to do!!!
Future HOF? No.
Jose Ramirez?
At the age of 33 he already has 57.6 bWAR, so there’s a good chance he ends his career with 65-75+ career bWAR.
Most guys over 50 WAR have a decent shot, and guys with over 60 are shoe-ins with very rare exceptions.
Additionally staying with one team is something some voters will appreciate.
The only real ding on his reputation is his lack of an MVP, but he played his career against Ohtani, Judge, and Trout. There weren’t a lot of MVP’s to go around.
Barring steroid allegations or some other outside factor, I can’t see him being anything other than a Hall of Famer.
He passes the eye test. He has the look of a Hall of Famer. Plus he knocked down Tim Anderson with the mystery right hand! Don’t mess with Jose. I am happy for him that he received his extension. I just love the fact that it was set up with deferred money so that Cleveland can perhaps make a move to help the team around him.
I agree. He is one of the best examples of a MLB there is in the game.
He hits RH,LH. He plays everyday. He is good glove at 3B. He hustles every ground ball, and hustles out of the box on every single, looking for 2B. He steals bases. He gets extra base hits, including HRs. He drives in runs. He does not complain, argue about umpires. The only time I ever saw him react was to SS Anderson shoving him and then putting up his fists. Jose KO’d him.
He has remained in Cleveland on below market value because “Cleveland gave him a chance” and his “family likes it there”. Despite advise from his agent (and likely the union) he remained with Cleveland. I just wish he wouldn’t chew for his own future health. I cannot think of much more the guy can do for his team. He sets the tone. Manager Vogt has been terrific, the front office has received plenty of credit, but make no mistake about it, Cleveland is Jose Ramirez’ team
J Ram is absolutely a future HOFer
Unless Jose Ramirez falls completely off a cliff, he’s a virtual lock for the HoF. As @Canuckleball said, he’s already on the threshold of the Hall and will play 5+ more seasons and he put up over 5 WAR last year. He might end up close to 80 WAR in his career, which is Ozzie Smith/Rod Carew/Robin Yount (among many others) territory.
Please explain your position, drew. I’ve got J-Ram as a 99% probability to be a HOFer…
At this point, I would be thrilled if Cleveland signed any of those three guys, However, since Antonetti said that he doesn’t want to take playing time away from the young guys, I doubt it will happen
I don’t see them doing anything unless they can kick the tires on someone for less than market value. And even then…
So many say that no FA is overpaid,and that what he got was market value. So if a FA signs for less than expected, wouldn’t that be market value also?
Good point Stymee I guess that player is setting their own market value.
I don’t have an opinion but like to see what people’s perspectives are so I added the counter argument
CO you’re probably right. Last year I wanted the FO to make moves for veterans like Polanco and Bellinger because they’re historically slow with unleashing prospects. But time’s up on many of them and they want exposure. It’s not just money, to bring in a RHH free agent like they’re talking about would require assurances from these players of playing time probably beyond what the team would want to grant. Such was the case with Lane Thomas. Vs RHP they want to see as much from OF Delauter, Valera, Kayfus and Jones as possible. Then hopefully Brito and Bazzana at 2B.
Cleveland has internally two guys who should be able to get the job done vs RHP and who wouldn’t be demanding of more general work. Johnathan Rodriguez should be solely used vs lhp and Fry mostly. Rodriguez is a terrible fielder but his Zips rating places him second on the team vs lefties. They need that, they were awful at it last year when he was limited to 50-60 PAs.
Job done vs lhp, not rhp. Oops.
How did the Darvish story get so turned around the other day?
One word: Acee
I knew it was someone jumping the gun and just wanted to be the first one with the story. I see that name a lot so it’s not surprising.
Kevin Acee (Padres insider) is the unique beat writer who lacks access to the FO and players because they just can’t trust him. The Pads talk to other writers, but not Acee. So KA gets his “insider” information from rumors and others, rather than the sources.
His employer (San Diego Union Tribune) seems to be okay with rumors and manufactured drama, over facts.
The initial story suggesting Yu’s retirement was partially amended by Acee however, after Darvish himself clarified the misinformation.
Acee sux.
I’m curious. I am a Tiger fan. J-Ram signs an extension with the only team he’s ever played for. He and his heirs (children, grandchildren, great grandchildren….) will never worry financially the rest of their lives. How much money is enough? How much more than never having to worry about money the rest of your and your heir’s lives do you need? I would like Tarek Skubal to answer that question. I dare some reporter to ask him that.
If you asked me which player I’d rather have on my team it would be J-Ram. He plays every day. He can influence every game he plays in every inning. Skubal influences just 6-9 innings every 5th game. But only 1/2 of those innings because he doesn’t hit. J-Ram plays both ways.
Why does Skubal command so much more. That is….even more money than he can spend the rest of his life, his kid’s, grandkid’s and great grandkid’s…
Why can’t the Tigers just pay him his value on the free market?
What is it?
Probably a lot.
This is the whole point. How can the Tigers be considered cheap if nobody knows what he’ll sign for? Whatever the Tigers offer….Boras knows he can get someone to top it. Then if the Tigers top that….he’ll just do it again.
The only way Skubal signs with the Tigers is if he pulls a J-Ram and signs with his team…his guys.
That just ain’t going to happen.
How many guys can do what Skubal and Ramirez do at the level they do it?
Ramirez is very good, but there’s at least a dozen, maybe even a couple dozen guys who are as good or better as a position player in the majors. There’s maybe one or two guys better then Skubal at pitching.
A couple of dozen guys as good or better than Ramirez. Boy, Canuckleball, you do not know MLB.
Raise your hand.
Who would take Jose Ramirez over Alex Bregman at 3B? Vote with a thumbs up.
I would.
“Greed has no boundaries”
– Aristotle
To each their own. As refreshing as it is to see a guy like Jose bend over backwards to stay with his club – that doesn’t mean everybody has to do it.
It’s not hard to spend millions. Ask MC Hammer
Too legit to quit spending.
Somebody should have told him “Stop, Hammer-time. Just stop.”
Yu Darvish just became the favorite baseball player of everybody who is sick and tired of the economics this game has become.
To leave that on the table and walk away from it you have to be rooting for the guy to come back and be even better than he was before.
The most likely scenario is that Darvish collects every dime of the $43 million that his contract guarantees.. he is just going to spread it out over more years in exchange for not having to show up any longer. Pretty much what Strasburg and Rendon recently did.
He may not be able to do that and remain a free agent.
Sugano fits with a rebuilding Marlins team. They could continue to build the farms with controllable assets by trading from SP strength, and possibly flip Sugano at the deadline. The park fits him and the marlins are not going anywhere in the next couple of seasons
Open up the barn doors to the farm… and include Sheehan + Pages. That would be an extremely extensive and expensive package, bigger than Preller’s send for Soto.
Jo-Ram the last of the major discount givers… Fans on the lake should be furious if the Guardians don’t step up & try to capitalize on that; they should see how much $ the Dodgers would eat to take Teoscar, or test the waters on a Nootbar trade. Standing pat in a weak division when ur captain leaves $4-5m yearly on the table is criminal…