As expected, San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King will be entering free agency this winter. The news comes as King declined his side of a mutual $15 million option on Monday, opting instead for a bigger deal in free agency. 

The Padres now have an important choice to make after the news. General manager A.J. Preller will have until next Thursday to give King a qualifying offer worth $22 million for next season. Even with the qualifying offer, though, it seems likely that King would receive a bigger, longer contract in the free agent market. In other words, all signs are pointing to the Padres being without the services of the right-hander next season. 

King arrived in San Diego from the New York Yankees as part of the Juan Soto trade in 2023. He pitched in 46 games for the Padres in his two seasons, posting a 3.10 ERA and recording 277 strikeouts in 247 innings. 

2025 didn’t go as smoothly as 2024 for King. Coming off a 2024 campaign in which he held his ERA under 3.00, last season was altered by injuries for King. He missed months due to a thoracic nerve issue that affected the strength of his right shoulder, and he also had a knee injury that caused problems. He started just 15 games last season with an ERA of 3.44, raising some question marks about the 30-year-old’s value with the recent injury concerns.

Despite the missed time, King was a vital part of the Padres' rotation last season when he was available. Now that King will likely be pitching elsewhere next season, San Diego is left with a hole to fill in their already questionable rotation. 

Starter Dylan Cease could also leave as a free agent, leaving the Padres with Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta, and Randy Vasquez. Darvish is 39 and saw a noticeable regression last season. Musgrove missed the entirety of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The loss of King is only made more important when factoring in the content of where the Padres’ rotation currently stands.

King is expected to get a contract in the ballpark of four years, $91 million. Preller and the Padres front office could always bring King back on a long-term deal such as this, but it’s unclear how likely that is right now. What is known is that the news of King declining his option is a blow to the Padres and their rotation as they look to make a deeper postseason push in 2026.