As Michael King re-signs with the San Diego Padres, another viable rotation upgrade disappears and the Cubs’ margin for error narrows.
The Chicago Cubs have made their intentions clear this winter: they plan to sign a premier starting pitcher in free agency.
So far, though, it’s been more talk than action. And on Thursday, another top target came off the board.
Right-handed starter Michael King, who has posted an 18–12 record with a 3.10 ERA over the past two seasons, is returning to the San Diego Padres on a three-year, $75 million contract.
King always felt like a natural fit for the Cubs.
He leans heavily on his slider, sweeper, and changeup—throwing offspeed pitches 46 percent of the time—and generates consistent soft contact as a result. In 2024, he ranked in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity allowed and the 97th percentile in hard-hit rate.
King is also right-handed, owns strong underlying metrics, and—unlike some of the other top arms on the market—was not expected to command a massive long-term deal. At $25 million per year, the contract isn’t cheap, but it’s far more palatable than the seven-year, $210 million deal Dylan Cease reportedly landed from Toronto.
For a team like the Cubs, with a clear need for pitching but several holes still to fill, this was the type of contract that felt manageable.
There are also two opt-outs in the deal, giving King maximum flexibility to cash in if he puts together another dominant season. Part of the reason teams hesitated to commit to King long-term is that he’s already 30 years old and missed over half of the 2025 season, making just 15 starts.
From an injury-risk standpoint, it’s more of a gamble than someone like Cease.
Chicago could have been the beneficiary of everyone else’s hesitation. That option, however, is now off the table.
To be fair, many Cubs fans likely gave up on King weeks ago. Both Ken Rosenthal and Peter Abraham reported that King had narrowed his focus to three teams: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles.
That narrative made sense. King is an East Coast native who began his career with the Yankees, and a return closer to home felt logical.
Clearly, though, that wasn’t the full story. King showed a willingness to remain on the West Coast—or go anywhere—so long as the offer was right. The Cubs simply weren’t the team that closed the deal.
There’s no reason to panic yet. The Cubs still appear well-positioned in their pursuit of Japanese star Tatsuya Imai, and landing one frontline starter would go a long way toward satisfying both the roster’s needs and the fan base.
But as more pitchers come off the board, the margin for error shrinks. If the Cubs don’t win the Imai sweepstakes, the list of viable fallback options is getting thinner by the day.