As expected, San Diego Padres starter Michael King exercised his option to opt-out of his deal with the team, making him a free agent. The Padres could, and should, extend a qualifying offer to King, which
if accepted, would give him a one-year, $22.025 million contract for the 2026 season. If King declines the offer and chooses to sign with another team, San Diego would receive draft compensation.
San Diego acquired King as part of the Juan Soto trade that saw King, catcher Kyle Higashioka and pitchers Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito and Drew Thorpe join the Padres organization. Trent Grisham also went to New York with Soto. At the time of the trade, it was reported that King was the piece that made the deal happen.
With all that said, it would seem unlikely that San Diego would simply allow him to leave without attempting to re-sign him, which is why the Padres should make the qualifying offer. In a recent article from Jim Bowden of The Athletic, he predicted King could get a three-year, $75 million contract.
Contracts and salaries for pitchers have been much higher in recent years, but King has some health concerns that might suppress his monetary value. However, when King is healthy he has shown to be a front-line starter, who has multiple pitches and is effective. He will have plenty of suitors, who would like to add him to their rotation.
The MLBPA also announced the free agents for each team, which included six players from the Padres. Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez, Ryan O’Hearn, Jose Iglesias, Nestor Cortes and Martin Maldonado are all free agents and can sign with any team without restriction.
With the World Series coming to an end, the business of baseball can begin. For the Padres, that business started with the retirement of manager Mike Shildt, and once that position is filled the focus can shift to possibly re-signing players like King or O’Hearn and identifying free agent targets, while building the roster for 2026.
