The San Diego Padres walked into free agency with multiple stars heading to the open market. On Wednesday night, Dylan Cease bolted from San Diego and reportedly agreed to a massive $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, the Padres are at risk of losing their No. 2 pitcher, Michael King, in free agency, too.
King is expected to sign a much more affordable contract than Cease did, which could put him in the Padres’ price range.
Zach Mentz of Cleveland.com recently projected King would sign a solid two-year, $56 million deal in free agency this winter.
“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.
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