3 Padres in the thick of awards races (and 1 deserves a big contract extension)

Michael King is a Cy Young favorite... and candidate to join the $200 million club

When Yu Darvish was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation during Spring Training, all eyes went to Michael King. While King was placed on the injured list recently, he is still one of the clear-cut favorites for the National League Cy Young Award this season. In his ten starts, King has posted a 2.59 ERA. He has walked just 17 batters while striking out 64 batters in those starts, as his strikeout-to-walk ratio has always been one of the most elite stats on his resume.

As it stands now, King is on pace for four straight years of a sub-3.00 ERA. While the first half of those came as a reliever/spot starter for the Yankees, his transition to starter has been absolutely seamless. And despite his current IL stint, he was able to start 31 games last season, which is essentially an iron man for a pitcher in today's MLB.

In the current NL Cy Young race, one would have to give the nod to Paul Skenes, as well as Jesus Luzardo and Zack Wheeler of the Phillies. It is a crowded field, but if King can return from his injury as quick as expected, there is a legitimate chance for him to work his way into the forefront of the MVP discussions.

The more interesting tidbit with King is his upcoming free agency. The Padres and King have a mutual option for 2026, but it is fair to assume King will not be opting into that. Outside of them agreeing on a deal for 2025 to avoid arbitration, King and the Padres seemingly have not been in talks. And with his status as an elite starter becoming more and more certain with every start, the Padres are going to have to spend a lot more to keep King in San Diego.

Only nine pitchers in MLB history have landed a $200 million contract (10 with Ohtani). And while it seems like a stretch for a 30-year old with only 1.5 seasons of starting pitching to join that exclusive club, King is a very real candidate to do so. There is no bigger advantage in baseball than an elite starting pitcher, and MLB teams have shown to value that tremendously in recent free agencies. Of those 10 names mentioned above, six have come since 2020.

And if Michael King returns and pitches as exceptionally as he has since joining the Padres, there may be some hardware on his shelf as he enters free agency as well.