Padres News: Bob Melvin Has Faith Yu Darvish Will Remain Effective into His 40s

Veteran pitcher still big part of contender's plans.

Yu Darvish was a big priority for the Friars this past offseason and they made sure to retain him. Bringing home a six-year, $108 million contract, Darvish was able to cash in on his impressive play since joining the team back in 2021.

Despite already being on the older side at 36-years-old, San Diego's starting pitcher has proven to still have a lot of baseball left in him. The front office certainly agrees as team manager Bob Melvin spoke highly during a Spring Training media sessioof what Darvish has to offer to the Padres this coming season.

Bob Melvin was asked his thoughts on Yu Darvish's contract extension, saying that he's at home in San Diego and wants to finish his career here: pic.twitter.com/ISMYNlcNag

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) February 13, 2023

If anybody is able to pitch a little later into their career and get this type of an extension, it's him and he proved that last year", said Melvin. "He's home here in San Diego, this is where he wants to end his career."

Darvish's stamina certainly is still there as he started the most games as pitcher on the team last season along with Joe Musgrove and posted a 4.2 WAR. His best games also came when the pressure in the playoffs and helped the Friars win two big rounds.

Darvish himself was a bit surprised when San Diego came with such a generous offer, even admitting that he thought it was a prank at first. Even when he was getting his well-deserved payday, Darvish still thought of the team first and did his best to leave the front office with extra money to improve the rest of the roster.