Padres Notes: Friars Release Struggling Pitcher, Michael King Talks Free Agency, All-Star Return Incoming

In this story:
The San Diego Padres recently released a veteran pitcher who has been struggling on the mound. While his time in the organization was short, he will now search for the next employer in his professional baseball career.
In more pitching news, a Padres ace who was the topic of much trade discussion this offseason spoke out on his upcoming free agency at this season's close. It appears his priorities are a lasting impact with the team, and those he has grown close with in the clubhouse.
Finally, the Friars will soon activate a key All-Star ahead of their series against the Colorado Rockies. The three-game set in Colorado will close out a nine-game road trip before the Padres return to Petco Park.
Here’s more information on these stories and all the latest Padres news (click the headline for the full article):
Padres Release Veteran Pitcher After Major Struggles
Padres' Michael King Addresses Upcoming Free Agency Following 2025 Season
Padres Set to Activate $80 Million All-Star Off Injured List Ahead of Rockies Series
MLB Insider Reveals Change Padres Must Make to Remain in Contention
Padres Star Named MVP Favorite Ahead of Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani by Experts
Padres Veteran Slams Former Team for Not Making Free Agent Offer, Dreams of Revenge
Padres Tweets of the Day:
5/8/1998: Tony Gwynn took fellow Hall of Famer Tom Glavine deep for a solo home run in Atlanta. He finished with a .321 batting average, which was his 16th straight year finishing with one above .300. #Padres (via MLB) pic.twitter.com/8FCYZVihMO
— MLB Daily Dingers (@MLBDailyDingers) May 8, 2025
Are the #Padres more likely to extend Michael King or Luís Arráez? pic.twitter.com/vcm3TC61Y2
— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) May 8, 2025
🦄 Jackson Merrill is a great example of what ifs...
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1 Speed ➕️✔️
2 Power (Gab/Raw) ➕️✔️
3 Athletic Baseball player ➕️✔️
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5 #MLB All-Star type ➕️✔️
5 Tool Talented player on #Padres for days .... https://t.co/STnqPMLOnB
Home run shots from Jackson Merrill, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham in Wednesday night’s series finale at Yankee Stadium #ForTheFaithful #Padres #RepBX #Yankees #MLB #LatinoSports | 📸: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports pic.twitter.com/funEGC8v4l
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Gabe Smallson is a sportswriter based in Los Angeles. His focus is sports and entertainment content. Gabe has previously worked at DodgersNation and Newsweek. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2020 and is a Masters Candidate at the University of Southern California. You can get in touch with Gabe by emailing gabe.smallson@lasportsreport.com. You can find him on X @gabesmallson
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