The King Returns: Padres Agree to Three-Year Contract With Michael King

[Brandon Glick]

We'll keep this short and sweet: The San Diego Padres have finally addressed the starting rotation, adding Michael King back on a three-year, $75 million deal.

There's a lot to discuss here. Though injuries diminished his effectiveness in 2025, the 30-year-old successfully completed his transition from the bullpen to the rotation in 2024, pitching to a 2.95 ERA and 3.33 FIP in 173 2/3 innings while accruing 3.9 fWAR. This past season wasn't as great (3.44 ERA, 4.42 FIP), but King was hampered by various injuries; when healthy, he's proven capable of being a frontline starter.

The Padres' rotation looks much better with King in tow, with he, Nick Pivetta, and Joe Musgrove forming a formidable triumvirate atop the pitching staff. Especially after losing Dylan Cease, keeping King around ensures that the Friars have enough pitching firepower to at least hang around in the Wild Card race.

Other questions to ponder in the immediate aftermath of this move:

• What's the next move the team should make? The rotation still probably needs at least one more legitimate starter to compete with the National League's best — is there room in the budget for another marquee addition?
• Speaking of the budget, did the Padres make the right call by spending (what appears to be) all of their budget on King? There were other top-tier starter (Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez) available, as well as a few trade candidates with hefty salaries.
• Does this make a trade of Nick Pivetta (or one of the bullpen arms) more or less likely?
• King has player options in each year of this contract, though his salary escalates every time he opts in. Is it possible that he'll stick around for all three years, or is this just a one-year deal with a lot of window dressing?

We won't know the answer to any of those for some time, but with Christmas barreling toward us and the New Year on the horizon, securing their Opening Day starter's services again is a huge boon — and a reason to breath a sigh of relief. The Padres will at least be able to field a competitive starting pitching group next year, and now there's some legitimate upside to be excited by.

For plenty more on the King re-signing, stay tuned to Padres Mission.

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