The San Diego Padres entered free agency with several key players hitting the open market. On Wednesday night, Dylan Cease left San Diego, reportedly agreeing to a huge $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Now the Padres could also lose their No. 2 starter, Michael King.
King is expected to command a far more modest deal than Cease, which may keep him within San Diego’s budget.
According to Zach Mentz of Cleveland.com, King is projected to land a strong two-year, $56 million contract in free agency this offseason.
“King had an injury-riddled 2025 season, but has proven to be effective — even dominant at times — when healthy,” Mentz wrote. “He has a 3.24 career ERA in 161 games pitched, and could be in line for a shorter ‘prove-it’ contract to re-establish his market.”
King is a bit too late in his career to sign a monster deal like Cease. Instead, he could be forced to sign a one or two-year deal to prove that he can stay healthy and effective.
At this price, the Padres would have a real chance to sign him. After losing Cease, San Diego could get very desperate in free agency, which could lead to a deal with King.
But teams like the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets are likely to make a run for him, too. The San Francisco Giants are also in desperate need of starting pitching.
Leave a Reply