The San Diego Padres made a somewhat move Monday that garnered controversy over how pitcher Yu Darvish might have felt about it. That move, apparently, was sanctioned by Darvish himself.
The Padres agreed to a contract with veteran Yuli Gurriel on Monday, inviting him to spring training to fight for a roster spot. The move raised some eyebrows, as Gurriel infamously made an offensive gesture after homering off Darvish in Game 3 of the 2017 World Series.
Padres GM AJ Preller spoke with Darvish three times before signing Gurriel, going all the way back to December. Darvish made clear that he had no issue with the addition.
“I told (Preller) I don’t care,” Darvish said Tuesday, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “If he signs, I don’t want you guys to think too much about it. I just want it to be like nothing happened before.”
Gurriel and Darvish seemingly made peace later in the series, and Gurriel wound up serving a five-game suspension to start the next season. The issue has not come up since then.
It is entirely possible Gurriel does not even make the team. He spent the bulk of last season playing for the Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, though he did hit .241 in an 18-game stint with the Kansas City Royals. The 40-year-old will be infield depth at best even if he does make the team.
Darvish remains one of the leaders on the San Diego pitching staff. He was limited to 16 starts in 2024 and posted a 3.31 ERA. The team has him signed long-term, so they certainly were not going to risk alienating him over what amounts to a pretty minor move.
