Padres Could Trade Michael King, and the Logic Is Hard to Ignore

The San Diego Padres' roster could look very different in the coming days.

With the trade deadline just days away, the Padres' front office has been actively looking around the league for upgrades. Due to the Padres' recent success on the field, San Diego is now firmly seen as a buyer, rather than the rumored sellers.

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is taking a long look at different options, while keeping the future of the team in the back of his mind. However, even with the Padres likely to add at the trade deadline, they could still send out some key players as well.

One of them is starting pitcher Michael King, who has been involved in trade rumors over the last few weeks. King can become a free agent at the end of the season, giving the Padres some thought to move him now to avoid potentially losing him for nothing.

And according to insider Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, this is exactly the thinking from the Padres' top decision-makers. King signed back with the Padres this past offseason on a three-year, $75 million deal, but he has the ability to opt out and re-enter free agency this offseason.

Should the Padres Trade Michael King?

King has been the most consistent starting pitcher for San Diego this year, so losing him would be tough. On the year, King has posted a 3.38 ERA over 22 starts, striking out 109 over 125.1 innings.

The right-hander has led this rotation thoughout the season while the team has dealt with multiple injuries to starters. But Preller has to think long-term here, and King could net the Padres some solid assets at the deadline.

Preller could then flip those assets for another starting pitcher who has more years of control on his contract. San Diego doesn't have many long-term answers in the starting rotation, with right-hander Nick Pivetta potentially hitting free agency this winter as well.

"A source believes San Diego could move Michael King by Monday," Feinsand wrote. "King has a $28 million player option for 2027 and a $30 million player option for 2028, potentially sending him to the open market again this offseason.

"The Padres are said to be in the market for controllable starting pitching, and if president of baseball operations A.J. Preller were to acquire pieces for King, he could conceivably use them to land longer-term rotation options."

The Padres have been linked with a few names this year, including Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds. Greene could be a target for San Diego, with the right-hander having three more years of team control following the 2026 season.

There are other names that the Padres could target, but Greene is an example of the type of pitcher that Preller may target if King is dealt. If the Padres went the expiring contract route, right-handers Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays or Freddy Peralta of the New York Mets could be options.

King's future with the Padres remains unknown at this time, but he could be the biggest name moved by the team. Throughout Preller's tenure with the Padres, it's been proven that nobody is safe from being traded across the roster.

But for now, the right-hander is scheduled to start against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, in what could be his last outing with the team.

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