Darvish said in a post on X that he's "leaning towards voiding his current contract" but "will not be announcing my retirement yet."
The 13-year veteran still has three years left on his contract. If he decides to retire, he'll be leaving $46 million on the table. He was set to make $16 million this season and $15 million in each of the next two.
However, Darvish's 2025 season came to an end after he needed surgery to repair the UCL in his throwing elbow, which he received Tommy John Surgery for back in 2015.
Darvish is a five-time All-Star and became the first Japanese-born player ever to record at least 2,000 career strikeouts in the MLB during his 2024 season with the Padres.
The 39-year-old signed with the Texas Rangers in 2015 and immediately became a league sensation. In his rookie season at 25 years of age, Darvish finished with a 16-9 record, 3.90 earned run average, and 221 strikeouts across 191.1 innings.
He would finish that 2012 season third in American League Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in American League Cy Young Voting, but earned his first All-Star selection.
The following season would be one of his career that he'd never replicate again. In 2013, Darvish led the entire MLB with 277 strikeouts, finishing the season with a fantastic 2.83 ERA in 209.2 innings - all career-best for a full season. He would finish runner-up to Max Scherzer that season for AL Cy Young, who put up a 21-3 record with a 2.90 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 214.1 innings.
Darvish would spend the next two-and-a-half seasons with the Rangers after missing out on the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery on his UCL.
Texas traded Darvish during the 2017 season to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After finishing the season with LA, Darvish signed a six-year, $126 million deal with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent.
He completed three years with the Cubs on the deal before the team traded him during the 2020 offseason to the Padres, where he spent the next five seasons, earning his fifth, and possibly final, All-Star selection in his first year with the team (2021).
The vet would've earned another All-Star bid in 2020, but the season was cut short due to COVID-19. Darvish finished as runner-up in National League Cy Young voting that season after leading the MLB with eight wins.
Darvish has a career 115-93 record with a 3.65 ERA and 2,075 strikeouts through 1,778.0 innings, giving up 563 walks and 1,460 hits.