Padres' Michael King Says AJ Preller 'Iced Us Out' in Free Agency

The San Diego Padres brought back right-handed pitcher Michael King on a three-year, $75 million deal this offseason.

The contract is heavily backloaded and includes an opt out after the first year, in which the Padres are paying King just $9 million.

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King is coming off a trying 2025 season in which he dealt with a nerve issue in his shoulder that sidelined him for three months. King then returned and immediately injured his knee, sidelining him for another month.

All in all, the Padres' Opening Day starter made just 15 starts in 2025, sporting a 3.44 ERA with 76 strikeouts across 73.1 innings. It was a far cry from King's 2024 season, when he made 30 starts (and had 31 appearances), pitching 173.2 innings and finishing with a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts.

The unfortunate 2025 campaign led King to enter free agency with more uncertainty than initially expected. Fortunately for him, the Padres came calling — but not without a lull in the beginning of freee agency.

"A.J. Preller kind of iced us out a little bit," King said to MLB Network Radio of the Padres' president of baseball operations. "He talked to me right at the beginning of the offseason and then I heard nothing from him until like mid-December. And I think he was giving me my space to be a free agent and talk to other teams and see what they had to offer. And then as soon as I was getting offers in, he came back in and it was very exciting to have him come back."

He added of the Padres: “This was the only West Coast team that we were even considering.”

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“This is the only West Coast team we were even considering.”

SP Michael King is back and ready to contend for the playoffs with the @Padres in 2026

🔗 https://t.co/WG5zyiWrzU pic.twitter.com/ogbhRSHPdX
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) March 1, 2026

King is now returning to the Padres with much to prove. If he's able to get back to his 2024 form, he could technically re-enter the free agent market in search of a long-term deal. However, if he decides to remain with San Diego, he'll get $32 million in 2027 and $34 million in 2028.

The Padres are betting on King returning to form, and will have him on a steal of a contract in 2026.

Michael King needs to have a big 2026 season for Padres to succeed

King will need to anchor a Padres rotation with plenty of question marks entering the season.

Joe Musgrove hasn't pitched since 2024 after underoing Tommy John surgery, while Nick Pivetta will need to repeat the career-year he had last season.

After that, the Padres are relying on Randy Vásquez and a handful of veteran castoffs for the final two spots in the rotation.

Thus, a bounce back season from King will be crucial to the success of San Diego this year.

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