Michael King is going back to the San Diego Padres. How long he stays there is completely up to him.

The standout pitcher has agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract with the Padres in free agency, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The deal reportedly contains a $12 million signing bonus, a 2026 salary of $5 million, a $28 million player option for 2027 (with a $5 million buyout) and a $30 million player option for 2028.

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So this could effectively be a one-year, $22 million contract, a two-year, $45 million contract or a three-year $75 million deal. It just depends on if King performs well enough to desire another foray into free agency.

Yahoo Sports had King ranked as this offseason’s No. 19 free agent.

King was on track to sign a contract much bigger than that after the 2024 season, in which he posted a 2.95 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 173 2/3 innings. The Padres acquired him in the Juan Soto deal and converted him into a full-time starter, with the gambit paying off.

However, 2025 was less kind for King. He went down with shoulder inflammation in May, then hit the injured list again with a knee injury after his first start back in August, ultimately posting only 73 1/3 innings in his contract year.

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MLB teams were likely wary of committing long-term money to a pitcher who turns 31 in May and has only one full season as a starting pitcher under his belt, even if it was a very good season.

King’s return is still a boon for the Padres, who entered this offseason with massive questions in their rotation behind top starter Nick Pivetta. Workhorse Dylan Cease has already left the team for a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Yu Darvish will miss all of 2026 after undergoing elbow surgery. Joe Musgrove will be making his return from Tommy John surgery and might not be able to pitch a full season. Randy Vásquez’s 2025 was solid on the surface but nearly every peripheral number screams regression to a level San Diego won’t like.

There aren’t many good options after that group. For a team still trying to compete with the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, that’s a lot of problems to have. The King deal gives the Padres the kind of pitcher they sorely need, even if it might end up just being for another year.