The San Diego Padres were one of baseball’s stronger teams last year, even challenging the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West for a long time.
To keep pace with the Dodgers and to ensure they don’t regress, the Padres had to be active in free agency. Even though it’s just retaining their own player, they managed to re-sign Michael King.
Michael King returns to San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres could only watch as one of their aces, Dylan Cease, joined the AL champion Toronto Blue Jays. He signed a seven-year contract to try and help the Jays get revenge on the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team he knows well. It left the Padres thinner in the rotation, especially with Michael King getting a lot of attention on the open market.
However, to avoid disaster, the Padres brought King back. He signed a three-year, $75 million deal with two opt-outs. He could be back on the market and sign a very long and very lucrative contract before this deal is up, but it’s on the team-friendly side for the Padres right now.
King had a down year in 2025, but he was excellent in 2024 (3.9 WAR and a 2.95 ERA in 173.2 innings). He was the centerpiece of the Juan Soto trade, although the Padres got back nine pieces for the slugger.
King was the best of the bunch, and now, though he wasn’t a rental anyway, they’ve ensured he will stick around a while longer. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees had Soto for all of one season before he bolted for the New York Mets.
Speaking of the New York teams, King was reportedly a target for both squads. The Yankees have a strong rotation that they may want to add to so they can bolster the bullpen with the remaining arms. The Mets, however, do not have a strong rotation, so King was probably a bigger need for them.
The Padres, however, may have needed him most. They boasted one of baseball’s deepest rotations with King, Cease, and Yu Darvish. Without Cease, and if King had left, the Padres would’ve been left with Nick Pivetta, Kyle Hart, and Darvish. They’d have had to find other arms. They still do, since Cease has left, but finding one starting pitcher is much easier than finding two at this stage of the offseason.
Plus, since they face the Dodgers’ offense plenty, pitching is crucial. Not just anyone can face down Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, and Teoscar Hernandez and come out on top.
Pitching options left remain thin
Now that Michael King is officially off the market, the best of the free-agent market is slowly thinning out. Starting pitchers are signing, and the remaining options aren’t as good as King, Cease, or Merrill Kelly. Here’s who remains available:
- Framber Valdez
- Ranger Suárez
- Nick Martinez
- Chris Bassitt
- Zac Gallen
- Zack Littell
- Patrick Corbin
- Erick Fedde
- Justin Verlander
- Zach Eflin
- Miles Mikolas
- Nestor Cortes
- Tyler Mahle
- Lucas Giolito
- Andrew Heaney
- Michael Lorenzen
- Jose Quintana
There are also trade rumors about Tarik Skubal, though that remains highly unlikely. Teams that whiffed on King will have to get creative. Framber Valdez remains the best option on the market, and Ranger Suarez, Zac Gallen, and Chris Bassitt are good options, but those pitchers are not aces like King could be.
Free agency has taken a long time to really get going, which is typical for baseball. But teams that needed starting pitching who’ve opted to be patient may now be out of luck. There are going to be several suitors for those top pitchers left, and they’re not even the best this free agency has had to offer.
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