Why 30-Year-Old Padres Hurler Makes Perfect Sense For Brewers

The Brewers will have a need for pitching when their season ends.

Jun 17, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; A detail view of a San Diego Padres hat on a glove in the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the National League Championship Series after a 7-3 win in Game 2 of the Division Series over the Chicago Cubs.

Following a 97-win regular season and another NL Central title, the Brewers have gotten straight to work in the month of October. But it's never too early to preview the offseason and what it might look like, even for a team still in the mix.

Pitchers Jose Quintana and Brandon Woodruff will both be free agents when the Brewers season ultimately ends, and they'll need to find some help for their starting rotation. There will be plenty of options to choose from, but Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report sees them as a dark-horse candidate for a particular pitcher.

Brewers Should Target Padres' Michael King In Free Agency

Sep 27, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) delivers during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Right-hander Michael King is a free agent after spending the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres. He pitched in inning in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Cubs before the Padres were ultimately eliminated.

But with Quintana and Woodruff set to hit the open market and Freddy Peralta's contract status uncertain, it makes perfect sense for the Brewers to take a flier on King. He missed time due to an injury this season, which might have brought his value down some.

However, when he was healthy, he performed well for the Padres, going 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts. He went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA in 30 starts and one relief appearance in 2024 while pitching 173 2/3 innings and striking out 201 batters.

Granted, the Brewers aren't always big spenders in free agency as a small-market team, so that is something important to keep in mind. But King may not be overly expensive after missing a chunk of time this season.

Perhaps Milwaukee could give him a team-friendly one-year deal to prove himself in 2026. He can generate swings and misses and eat innings when healthy, so perhaps a team will be willing to take a flyer on him this coming offseason.

The Padres have been limiting their spending in recent years, so it's very possible that they could let him walk in free agency and find an internal fix for their rotation, while the Brewers look to solidify their group for the 2026 season.

More MLB: Brewers Lose 5-Year Veteran To Free Agency During Playoff Run