The 2025 season has concluded for the San Diego Padres after being bounced out of the Wild Card round in three games by the Chicago Cubs. Now heading into the offseason, general manager A.J. Preller and the Padres front office have some glaring issues to fix ahead of the 2026 season.

It’s no secret that San Diego will be looking to add rotational pieces this winter, either through free agency or via the trade market. Right-handed starting pitcher Dylan Cease will now be on the open market after two seasons with the Padres. Another righty, Michael King, has a mutual $15 million option with the club, but it’s already been reported that he’s expected to decline the option and enter the free agent market.

Before making any big splashes, Preller and the Padres should look to retain their starters. This may not be the case, however, as Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer has the Padres as No. 6 of the top 10 landing spots for King in free agency.

“King missed basically half of this season, first due to a nerve issue in his shoulder and then because of inflammation in his left knee,” Rymer wrote in his article. “Yet he was still effective when he did pitch, with eight of the 28 earned runs he allowed coming in just one start.”

King’s value is estimated to be around $92 million over four years. It’s a lot of money for the 30-year-old who missed a significant chunk of time in 2025. In his 15 starts with San Diego this season, King recorded a 3.44 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. It’s a noticeable step down from his first season with the club in 2024, where he recorded a sub-3.00 ERA and finished seventh in Cy Young voting.

The Padres have an important decision to make this offseason with King. Preller needs to decide if they are willing to bet on King again. If they do bite on resigning their starter, they will be hoping for a resurgence and another season similar to 2024. As it stands, San Diego only has Nick Pivetta, a declining Yu Darvish, a Joe Musgrove arm recovering from Tommy John, and Randy Vasquez as options for the rotation next season. Whether King comes back or not is up in the air, but the Padres need to fill in their rotation one way or another this offseason.