The San Diego Padres have signed right-hander Michael King to a three-year, $75 million contract, the team announced Friday.
The deal allows King to opt out after the 2026 and 2027 seasons. He gets a $12 million signing bonus in three $4 million installments, within 30 days of the deal’s approval by Major League Baseball and on Jan. 15 in both 2027 and 2028.
King was limited to 15 starts for the Padres in 2025, missing about half the season because of a knee injury and a nerve issue in his right shoulder. He went 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 73â…“ innings.
The 30-year-old right-hander, who relies on his sinker and changeup, still showed flashes of what stood out in his first season in San Diego in 2024, when he posted a 3.9 WAR and a 2.95 ERA in 173â…” innings in 30 starts. He finished seventh in National League Cy Young Award voting that year.
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The big difference between the two seasons, however, was that his four-seam fastball got hit harder than it did in 2024, going from a .402 slugging percentage allowed to .814.
He was tendered a $22.025 million qualifying offer by the Padres, but he declined it by the Nov. 18 deadline.
King spent his first five MLB seasons with the New York Yankees, and he has a 31-29 record with a 3.24 ERA and 559 strikeouts.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.