The results of the Padres Reacts Survey Poll this week should not be surprising to anyone who follows the San Diego Padres. Five players who were free agents at the conclusion of the World Series or who became
free agents by choosing to ops-out of the money and years remaining on their contracts were listed. The Friar Faithful were asked to select which ONE player they would like to see brought back into the fold in San Diego.
One choice seemed to be more obvious than the rest, Michael King. He was a big part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees and he has been an even bigger part of the Padres; starting rotation for the past two seasons – when healthy. This would be the reason why the Padres deemed it appropriate to make him the qualifying offer of $22.025 million for the 2026 season.
If King were to accept the offer, he could ensure San Diego has at least two front line starters with him and Nick Pivetta at the top of the rotation. Joe Musgrove is set to return from Tommy John surgery, but the expectations should be tempered for a guy who is a great competitor, but hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since the 2024 postseason.
King would also have a chance to show other teams that the nerve issue that sidelined him for a large chunk of the 2025 season is gone and longer a factor. The qualifying offer would allow him to get a raise and leave the door open to returning to the free agent market in 2027, which could see the MLB owners lockout the players, putting the season in jeopardy.
Of course, by offering a qualifying offer to King, the Padres have a 10-day period where they can exclusively try to reach an agreement on a contract that would keep King in San Diego for years to come. The results of this week’s poll show not only would the Friar Faithful accept that outcome, they would prefer it.
The other options on the poll included Dylan Cease, Ryan O’Hearn, Luis Arraez and Robert Suarez. Cease received a qualifying offer from the team, but none of the other players received qualifying offers. The Padres need starting pitching so King and Cease make sense, but another position of need is first base. O’Hearn is a first baseman with a solid glove, who can provide some power in the lineup and Arraez played first base and batted second for most of the 2025 season. Suarez was expected to opt-out, so no one was surprised when it happened. With Mason Miller on the roster, Suarez is expendable and the money saved by not bringing him back could be used to address other areas of need.
With new manager Craig Stammen at the helm, it will be interesting to see what, if any, influence he might have in convincing King to re-up with the Padres.
