"We never got to that point" - Yu Darvish on why he didn't recruit Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Padres

San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish would have loved to take the field with his fellow countrymen, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Unfortunately, that will not happen, as both stars signed mega contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract in which he will defer $680 million. For Yamamoto, he signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers.

Darvish shared that he never recruited either player to the team, and he had a good reason. The team's financial situation is a complete mess, leading the league in payroll last season with an excess of $291 million in competitive balance tax.

"We were in a situation that we were in as an organziation financially and stuff like that, we never got to that point," said Darvish through his interpreter.

Given the state of the Padres' finances, Darvish could not recruit Ohtani and Yamamoto. Especially looking at the huge contracts these superstars signed this winter.

Instead, Darvish is happy for the opportunity his friends have and looks forward to taking the field against them. The Dodgers and Padres kick off the season in Seoul, South Korea, on March 20.

Given the team's financial situation, Yu Darvish was not surprised the Padres were not in the market for Shohei Ohtani

Yu Darvish (Image via Getty)

Yu Darvish recently signed a six-year, $108 million extension last February, adding to the team's monster payroll. His answer was short and sweet when asked if he was surprised by the team's financial troubles, which caused them to cut costs this offseason.

"Every year organizations go through different situations, so no, I was not surprised by that" stated Darvish through his interpreter.

Despite the team's finances, they were able to get some stuff done this winter. They signed Wandy Peralta, Woo-Suk Go, and Yuki Matsui to help bolster the team's bullpen. This lessens the sting of losing Josh Hader in free agency.

However, the team will have a big hole in the outfield this season. Juan Soto and Trent Grisham were traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, Drew Thorpe, and Kyle Higashioka.

It could certainly be a tough season for the Padres after losing their best hitter, but other players are ready to step up. Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. know this is their team and will be expected to lead.