The Padres emphasize pitching, tendering offers to Cease and King. Will San Diego retain its aces or cash in on draft picks?
Amid the hiring of Craig Stammen to be the next San Diego Padres manager, key free agency news went somewhat unnoticed. On Thursday afternoon, the Padres tendered qualifying offers for right-handed starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King.
Both Cease and King will now have the choice to accept the one-year, $22.025 million deal or accept another offer in free agency. If they decide to depart, the Padres will now be rewarded with draft pick compensation.
San Diego will be hoping to retain at least one of their two starters, as starting pitching is the area of its roster that needs the most fixing up. As it stands, the Padres have just two starting arms that they can rely on for 2026, Nick Pivetta and Randy Vasquez. Right-hander Joe Musgrove will also be returned to the rotation, but he missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so it may take more time for the 32-year-old to get back to his All-Star ways.
It will take a lot of money to bring back both starters, as Cease and King have the third and fourth-highest market value among starting pitchers entering free agency this offseason.
Cease is set to get a significantly larger deal this winter, as he’s pitched at least 32 games in each of his last five seasons. The 29-year-old has had some ups and downs over the years, but there’s no doubt about Cease’s ability on the mound.
In his two seasons with San Diego, Cease posted a 3.98 ERA. His 2025 season was a step back from 2024, in which he led the majors in SO/9 and finished fourth in Cy Young voting. Last season saw Cease record a not-so-impressive 4.55 ERA, but it’s not expected to deter teams too much this free agency. His market value is listed at seven years, $185 million.
King also had a not-so-ideal contract year with the Padres, with injuries to blame for large chunks of time missed. He started just 15 games, recording a 3.44 ERA in the process. King will still command a lot of money this offseason based on his consistency in previous seasons. He managed to hold his ERA under 3.00 in each of his previous three seasons, making him one of the most desired starters on the market. King’s market value is estimated to be around four years, $92 million.