The San Diego Padres are arguably approaching one of their biggest offseasons in a very long time. The 2026 free agency market will allow the Padres to get creative, but it's also important to note that several players in their current rotation could depart.
Mainly, Dylan Cease and Michael King.
It's tough to say that King is a better arm than Cease in some sense, because Cease has been a starter for much longer.
Will Michael King leave San Diego?
However, King has consistently thrown the baseball at a very high level since becoming a full-time starter. Unfortunately, his injuries are tough to ignore, which could hurt his potential value.
Also, because of the addition of Mason Miller, some question whether the Padres will bring any of them back. That includes MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan, who noted that Miller could be the Padres' future ace.
“The flamethrowing right-hander has given San Diego’s bullpen another electric arm, though it remains to be seen how long he’ll actually stay there. No, Miller isn’t going anywhere -- he’s controllable through 2029 -- but there have been rumblings that the Padres could consider transitioning him back to the rotation in the future.
“With Dylan Cease, Michael King and the newly acquired Nestor Cortes all nearing free agency, how the Friars decide to proceed with Miller could have a major impact on their approach to the starting pitching market this offseason,” he wrote.
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Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but King should still be in a position to land a decent deal on the open market, depending upon whether teams are worried about his injuries or not.
Spotrac has him coming in at a four-year, $97.2 million deal.
Nearly $25 million AAV for the Padres might be a bit too expensive for a pitcher who can't be trusted to stay on the mound.
Among the other top free agents on the market, there's an argument to be made that King is the strangest case. He's proven to be elite, but there are a lot of other factors that have to be counted in.