5 San Diego Padres players who have been major disappointments this season

5) Yu Darvish has been a major disappointment for the 2023 San Diego Padres

Much of a baseball team's chances of making the playoffs hinges on the succes of its pitching staff. So when a third starter is being included on this list, that's not a good thing for the San Diego Padres.

Yu Darvish has been a shell of himself in 2023, with a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts. Though he's still striking hitters out (141 Ks in 136.1 innings pitched), his WHIP of nearly 1.30 would be his highest since 2018.

Signed to a six-year extension last winter at age 36, Darvish's new deal will take him all the way until his age 42 season. And for a starter who is already exhibiting signs of decline, that's ... not great for the Padres.

The good news? Darvish has been healthy, which is more than Joe Musgrove, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo can all say they've been in 2023 (each has dealt with injuries).

Unfortunately, that's a pretty low standard to clear given that we measure results and performance with more emphasis. And in those latter two areas, Darvish has fallen short of expectations this season.