One Prediction Has Padres Losing Michael King To NL Contender

The San Diego Padres desperately need starting pitching, and the rotation could look much different than it did just two months ago. 

Ace Michael King opted out after he signed a three-year, $75 million deal last offseason. Nick Pivetta is also a free agent, and it is unclear whether or not either player will return to San Diego, although it won't be because San Diego isn't interested. 

The Padres are meeting with Tarik Skubal, and another report said they have interest in Dustin May, so there are not many stones left unturned when it comes to adding starting pitching help. 

However, there is a chance King goes elsewhere. Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball predicted that King will sign with the Chicago Cubs, with the projected contract coming in at four years and $135 million, putting him at an annual average value of $35 million. 

King was at a $25 million AAV in the deal he signed last year, but the expectation always was that he would opt-out if he pitched well. He was the Padres best starter by far, and he had a heroic postseason run, even coming out of the bullpen during the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

The Cubs are another team desperately searching for starting pitching, but reports surfaced that they won't be in the running for Skubal. 

The biggest question with King is his age. He is 32 years old, and he missed a good chunk of time in 2025 due to injuries, so teams could be hesitant to sign him to a five or six-year deal. 

In this scenario, the Cubs give him four years with a high AAV, and the hope for Chicago would be that he could provide them with an ace status for the next few seasons, at least. 

Just Baseball also has King as the No. 2 player on this list behind Skubal, and he could wait to see where Skubal signs in hopes of landing a big deal elsewhere from a team that misses out on Skubal. 

But, the clock is ticking before the MLB lockout. The Padres have made it clear that they want King to return, so that is a positive sign, and a rotation with both Skubal and King would be expensive but talented. 

Nonetheless, Michael King is another high-end pitcher to watch this time around, and he could cash in on a big contract after a strong 2026 campaign.