Padres' Michael King Doesn't Know What Future Holds Heading Into Offseason

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

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King spoke about the upcoming offseason and his potential to enter free agency in the winter.

King has been one of the Padres' best pitchers over the last two seasons, however struggled with injury in 2025. The left-hander has a $15 million mutual option for the 2026 season — an extremely affordable price for potentially their best starter.

Whether or not King opts in, though, is an entirely different story.

“I’ll let it digest for a little bit,” King said. “Then I’m sure it’s a conversation I’ll have with my family and my agent. I don’t even know. These guys have all been incredible the last couple years. … [General manager A.J.] Preller knows how to put together a team. We had everybody going for one goal, all pulling for each other. It was really fun to be a part of these last two years.”

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King had a 3.44 ERA in the regular season, which inflated due to a sour start against the New York Mets at the beginning of the season. Before landing on the injured list with a nerve issue in May, King had a 2.59 ERA through 10 starts.

He returned from that injury in August, though he only made one start before landing back on the injured list with left knee inflammation. He had a rough couple of outings upon his return, however closed the season with 7.2 scoreless innings across his final two outings.

The southpaw pitched well in the 2024 postseason, pitching seven scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Round and taking a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Despite his previous postseason results, he pitched just one inning against the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round this season, holding the North Siders scoreless in the Padres' Game 3 loss.

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If King opts out, which he is most likely to do, the Padres will either need to hand the lefty a huge contract in free agency or patch up their pitching staff, which is also set to lose Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez. The Padres' bullpen will likely be able to manage without Suarez, however without King and Cease their rotation should be a top priority come free agency.

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